KR101788045B1 - Heating and cooling apparatus using heat pump and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a heat pump type air conditioner and a method of controlling such a heating and cooling apparatus, which are controlled in response to fluctuations in electric power charges. The present invention provides a method comprising: recognizing a current power charge; Adjusting the temperature of the water in the indoor unit using the refrigerant heat-exchanged with the air in the outdoor unit; Circulating the temperature-regulated water in an indoor pipe by using a pump; Stopping the compressor of the outdoor unit when a predetermined condition is reached; Stopping the pump when a predetermined delay time has elapsed after stopping the compressor; And changing a period for determining whether to stop or operate the compressor in correspondence with the recognized electric power charge, and a method of controlling the heat pump type air conditioner and a heat pump type air conditioner operated according to such a control method do.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a heat pump type air conditioner, and more particularly,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat pump type air conditioner and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a heat pump type air conditioner and a method of controlling such a heat pump type air conditioner.

The heat pump type air conditioner basically heats or cools the water supplied from the water supply source by utilizing the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the air based on the heat pump cycle. By using the heated or cooled water, the heat pump type air conditioner can heat or cool the indoor space. Also, the heat pump type heating / cooling apparatus may directly supply heated water to be used by a user. The heat pump type cooling / heating apparatus includes heat exchangers provided in the outdoor and indoor areas, a compressor for compressing refrigerant, a pump for circulating cooled or heated water, and a blower fan due to the built-in heat pump mechanism . However, since the heat pump type air conditioner includes a compressor and a pump, it requires a relatively large amount of electric power as compared with other home appliances.

On the other hand, an intelligent power grid (smart grid) has been developed for efficiency of power use in terms of energy and electric power saving. Such an intelligent power grid basically involves a variable rate system in which electric power charges vary according to electric power demand. Under such a variable rate, the electricity rate per unit time in a time period with high power demand is significantly increased, and the electricity rate in a time period when power demand is relatively low is set low.

As mentioned above, since the heat pump type air conditioner consumes a lot of electric power, at least the heat pump type air conditioner needs to be appropriately controlled in response to this changed electric power rate in order to save at least electric power charges.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a heat pump type air conditioner and a control method thereof that can appropriately control the use of electric power under a changing electric power rate.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a method for controlling an indoor unit, comprising the steps of: recognizing a current electric charge; adjusting a temperature of water in an indoor unit using a refrigerant heat- Circulating the temperature-regulated water in an indoor pipe by using a pump; Stopping the compressor of the outdoor unit when a predetermined condition is reached; Stopping the pump when a predetermined delay time has elapsed after stopping the compressor; And changing a period for determining whether to stop or operate the compressor corresponding to the recognized power charge.

The power charge recognition step may include receiving the current power charge from the power company in the heat pump type cooling and heating apparatus, and the power charge may be a power charge per predetermined unit time. Also, the power charge recognition step may include receiving the power charge in the heat pump type air conditioner in real time, or receiving the power charge as a table including power charges for a predetermined predetermined period.

The adjusting step may include heating or cooling water at room temperature supplied from a water supply source through heat exchange with the refrigerant in the indoor unit.

Stopping the compressor may include stopping the compressor based on the temperature of the heated water discharged from the indoor unit during the heating operation or stopping the compressor based on the indoor air temperature during the cooling operation. In the stopping of the compressor, the pump can be continuously operated to supply the indoor pipe with the preheated or cooled water in the indoor unit for the predetermined delay time even after stopping the compressor.

The changing step may set the determination period differently depending on whether the recognized power charge is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value. A determination period when the recognized power rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value may be set longer than a determination period when the power rate is less than a predetermined reference value in the changing step.

More specifically, the changing step may include: determining whether the recognized current power charge is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value; And setting a period for determining whether to activate or stop the compressor to be greater than the delay time when the power charge is determined to be equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value. The setting step may include determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed after the pump operation is stopped, and determining whether to operate or stop the compressor when the predetermined time has elapsed. In addition, it is possible to determine again whether the compressor is operated or stopped after a lapse of at least two minutes after the pump operation is stopped in the setting step.

On the other hand, the changing step may include: determining whether the recognized current power charge is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value; And determining whether to activate or stop the compressor in real time if it is determined that the electric power charge is less than a predetermined reference value. Here, the determination period may be one second.

The control method and apparatus according to the present invention can actively change the period for determining whether to stop or operate the compressor in response to the recognized power charge, thereby reliably stopping the pump, which is dependent on the operation of the compressor, Thereby greatly reducing power usage and power charges.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall structure of a smart grid;
2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a power management network in a home contained within a smart grid;
3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an energy management device (EMS);
4 is a block diagram illustrating a power management network included in a smart grid and a heat pump type air conditioner connected thereto;
5 is a schematic view illustrating a heat pump type air conditioner according to the present invention; And
6 is a flowchart showing a control method of the heat pump type air conditioning apparatus according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a heat pump type air conditioner and a control method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the entire structure of a smart grid. The Smart Grid includes conventional power plants that generate electricity through thermal power, nuclear power, or hydroelectric power, and photovoltaic power plants and wind power plants that use renewable energy such as solar or wind power.

The conventional power plant sends power to a power management center through a transmission line, the power supply sends power to a substation, and then the power is distributed to a consumer such as a home or an office. Power generated by renewable energy is also sent to the substation and distributed to each customer. In this distribution of power, the power transmitted from the substation is distributed to the office or each household through the power storage device.

Even at home using a home network (HAN), it is possible to produce and supply electric power through solar cells as renewable energy or fuel cells mounted on PHEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) The remaining electricity can be saved. In the office or home, a measuring device (hereinafter, a smart meter) is provided to grasp the power and electric charges to be used in real time, so that the consumer can find a way to reduce electric power consumption and electric charges according to the current situation. Since the power station, the power supply station, the storage device, and the customer are two-way communication, the customer can be informed not only of power supply but also of the situation of the customer to the storage device, the power supply station and the power plant. Therefore, power generation and power distribution can be performed according to the situation of the customer.

Meanwhile, the smart grid includes an energy management system (EMS) and an Advanced Metering infrastructure (AMI) for real-time power management of a customer, real-time prediction of required power, and power consumption in real time , Which play a pivotal role in the smart grid. Measurement devices under the Smart Grid are based on the open architecture and are an underlying technology for integrating consumers. They provide efficient use of power to consumers, and power suppliers are able to detect system problems and efficiently operate the system . An open architecture is a standard that allows all appliances to be connected to each other, no matter which manufacturer manufactures the appliances in a smart grid system, unlike a typical network. Thus, the metering device used in the Smart Grid enables a consumer-friendly and efficient concept such as "Prices to Devices ".

More specifically, information related to electric power information (hereinafter referred to as " electric power information "), in particular, electric power price information which varies according to overall demand as described above, It is provided as an energy management system (EMS: Energy Management System or Energy Management Server) and a smart meter installed in each household from components. In addition, the energy management device (EMS) and the smart meter in each home can communicate with home appliances disposed in the home and receive information related to the use of electric power from them. In consideration of the relationship of the information exchange, the power information includes an amount of electric power supplied to a home provided from a power plant or a power supply station outside the home operated by a utility company, a changeable electric power charge (external electric power information) The amount of power used to be measured in relation to the devices, and the actual charge amount to be charged (the internal power information) based on the amount of power used. Further, the power supply amount and the electric power charge can be defined as "external electric power charges" because they are provided from components of the Smart Grid disposed outside the home, and the electric power consumption and the electric power charges to be charged can be defined as smart Can be additionally defined as "internal power charges" since they are provided by components of the grid. Therefore, the power information processed in the home under the smart grid can be defined as including the external power information, which is the power supply amount and the electric power charge, and the internal electric power information, which is the electric power consumption and the electric power charge to be charged. Also, the smart meter basically receives or measures the external and internal power information, and the energy management device provides the received power information to the user, and controls the household appliances based on the power information . The above definitions continue to apply to the description of the present invention which will be described next.

Under this definition, the user can manually control the appliances based on the energy management device (EMS) or the smart meter to recognize the overall power information and save power and associated costs accordingly. More specifically, the user can directly give an operation instruction to the home appliances based on the recognized power information or indirectly give an operation instruction to the home appliances through the energy management device. In addition, the energy management apparatus may automatically control the home appliances according to a predetermined control method so as to save energy and related costs based on the received power information. That is, the energy management device and the smart meter function as a central control device (i.e., a server) that integrally manages home appliances in the home based on the received power information.

In addition, each of the home appliances basically has a control device that receives instructions given from outside and operation-related information of the home appliances, and controls the operation of each home appliances based on the instructions and information. In the case where an energy management device and a smart meter are provided in the home, the control device of this home appliance receives the instruction given by the energy management device in addition to the instruction given directly by the user, and controls the corresponding home appliance in accordance with the given instructions. Further, the household appliance may be configured to additionally have a function of an energy management device and a smart meter. In more detail, such a household appliance may measure internal power information, reception of external power information, measurement of the user, provision of received power information, measurement and reception And controls the home appliances based on the power information. That is, the energy management device and the smart meter can be directly provided or integrated into each home appliance, and further, can be physically integrated with the home appliance control device in the home appliance. In this case, each home appliance is a stand-alone device that can interact directly with the components of the Smart Grit existing outside the home for control based on power information. In addition, such a home appliance may have a smart control device having all the power management and control functions described above, or the control device of the home appliance itself may be such a smart control device.

As described above, since the smart grid enables real-time communication of power information between a supplier and a consumer, it is possible to perform a real-time demand response demand response ". In addition, as power usage can be actively and appropriately regulated, the smart grid can reduce the high costs that utilities face in meeting peak demand for a consumer with regard to power supply.

2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a power management network in a home contained within a Smart Grid.

The power management network 10 may include a smart meter 10. The smart meter 10 can receive power information such as the amount of power supplied to each home and the power rate from other components of the Smart Grid located outside the home, and can calculate the amount of power used in the home, The fee can be measured in real time. Here, the electric power charge is provided based on the hourly charge, and the electric power cost per hour is increased in the time period in which the electric power usage is rapidly increased, and the electric power charge is reduced in the time period (nighttime time period) in which the electric power consumption is relatively small.

In addition, the power management network 10 may have an energy management device 30 connected to the smart meter 20 for receiving power related information, and for communicating with one or more household appliances and controlling their operation . The energy management device (EMS) 30 may have a display 31 for displaying various information such as current power consumption, power information such as electric power charges, and external environment (temperature, humidity) An input unit 32 for inputting an instruction, and the like. The energy management device (EMS) 30 further includes a heat pump type cooling / heating device 100, a refrigerator 200, a washing machine and a dryer 300, a TV 400 and a cooking device 500, , And can perform bidirectional communication with them. Communication within the house can be done via wired communication methods such as wireless or PLC. Each household appliance can be connected to enable other communication. This energy management device 30 and smart meter 20 may be present as separate devices as shown in the figures, but may be integrated into a single device that performs all of the above-described functions.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an energy management apparatus (EMS). As shown in FIG. 3, the energy management apparatus 30 has a terminal having a display 31. FIG.

The display 31 displays the power usage information such as the current power usage, the estimated rate estimated by the accumulated history and the carbon dioxide generation amount, the power rate of the current time zone, the power rate of the next time zone, Real-time power information to be included, and weather information. In addition, the display 31 includes a graph showing the amount of power consumed and the change in power consumption of each home appliance by time slot, and items regarding power supply availability for each product may also be displayed as an ON / OFF state.

An input unit 32 is provided on one side of the display 31 to allow the user to set the operation of the electric product as needed. By using the input unit 32, the user can set the limit of the amount of electric power or the electric charge to be used by the user. According to the setting, the energy management apparatus (EMS) 30 can control the operation of each home appliance do.

Further, as described above, each of the home appliances 100-500 may have a smart control device 40 having all the power management and control functions of the smart meter and the energy management device. The smart control device (40) may be provided to the home together with the smart meter (20) and the energy management device (30). In addition, since the smart meters / energy management devices 20 and 30 and the smart control device 40 can perform the same functions independently of each other, the smart control device 40 can control the smart meter 20 and the energy management device 40, Only the smart meter 20 and the energy management device 30 can be provided to the home without the smart control device 40. [ When present in the home together with the smart meter 20 and the energy management device 30, each of the home appliances is selectively activated by the smart control device 40 or the energy management device 30, Lt; / RTI > When only the smart control device 40 is provided in the home, the smart control device 40 alone performs all the functions of the smart meter and the energy management device.

The smart control device 40 may be an integrated device 41 integrated in each home appliance itself. The integrated device 41 may be exposed to the outside of each appliance or installed therein. The smart control device 40 may be a smart adapter 42 inserted in the plug P of the home appliances. The smart adapter 42 is inserted into an outlet 70 in the home, receives power information such as a power supply amount and a power charge from the outside using power line communication, measures a power consumption amount from the household appliance, . In addition, it may have a display on its own to provide such information to the user, and may control the operation of the home appliance based on the power information.

The power supply to the household may be a power company 50 equipped with general power generation equipment (thermal power, nuclear power, hydro power) or power generation equipment using renewable energy (solar power, wind power, geothermal power) have. In addition, the auxiliary power source 60 provided in each home may be another power source. The auxiliary power source 60 may be an electric power generating facility 61 such as a solar power and a wind power generation facility, or a fuel cell 62 provided in a home or a vehicle. Also, the auxiliary power source 60 may include a battery 63 that can store the electric power generated by the self power generation facility 61.

Typically, the auxiliary power source 60 provides power information such as the amount of power produced and the amount of power stored in the smart meter 20 and the energy management device 40. However, if the smart control device 40 is present in the home, the smart control device 40 can directly provide the power information described above.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a power management network included in a smart grid and a heat pump type air conditioner connected thereto, and FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating a heat pump type air conditioner according to the present invention.

First, as shown in FIG. 4, the power source may be the power company 50 and / or the auxiliary power source 60. Such a power source may be connected to the smart meter 20 and / or the energy management device 30 and optionally also to the smart control device 40 provided directly to the heat pump type heating / cooling device 100 Lt; / RTI > The functions of the power source and the smart meter 20 have been described in detail above and are not further described, and for reference, the configuration of the energy management device 30 will be described in more detail below.

The energy management device 30 includes a display unit 31, an input unit 32, a communication unit 33, and a control unit 34.

The display unit 31 corresponds to the display 31 shown in FIG. 3 and displays various information including power information. For example, the display unit 31 may display the information using a UI (User Interface) or a GUI (Graphic User Interface). The display unit 31 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) (flexible display), or a three-dimensional display (3D display). The display unit 31 may also be a touch screen. In this case, the display unit 31 may also serve as the input unit 32. [ In addition, the display unit 31 may additionally have a module capable of outputting a sound signal to inform the user of various events.

The input unit 32 allows the user to input instructions for various controls. The input unit 32 may include a key pad, a direction key, a dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The communication unit 33 communicates with household appliances including the air conditioner 100 and other peripheral devices. That is, the communication unit 33 includes a receiving apparatus for receiving the external and internal power information and other information, and a transmitting apparatus for transmitting control signals and other information based on the received information. The communication unit 33 may include a remote communication module, a local communication module, and the like. First, the remote communication module may be configured as a module for wired / wireless Internet access. WLAN (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), or the like may be used as the wireless Internet technology. The short range communication module may be Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), or ZigBee.

The control unit 34 basically controls the operation of the display unit, the input unit, and the communication unit 31-33. The control unit 34 may control the home appliances including the cooling / heating device 100 based on an instruction input by the user through the input unit 32. On the other hand, the controller 34 may control the home appliances according to a predetermined control method based on the power information and various other information.

The configuration of the energy management device 30 may be applied to the smart control device 40 and the smart meter 20 in the same manner.

2, the heat pump type cooling / heating apparatus 100 according to the present invention basically includes the power supply sources 50 and 60, the smart meter 20, the energy management device 30, So that they can interact with each other. The configuration of the heating / cooling apparatus 100 will be described in more detail as follows.

First, the cooling and heating apparatus 100 has a control unit 101. The control unit 101 basically controls the operation of all the devices of the cooling / heating device 100. More specifically, the control unit 101 receives the instruction given to the cooling / heating device and its operation related information, and controls the operation of the cooling / heating device 100 based on the instruction and information. The control unit 101 receives an instruction given from the energy management device 30 in addition to a direct instruction from the user. As described above, the smart control device 40 may be provided as a part of the cooling / heating device 100. In this case, the control unit 101 may receive the direct instruction from the smart control device 40 have. Further, the smart control device 40 may be physically integrated with the control unit 101 as indicated by a dotted line. That is, the smart control device 40 and the control unit 101 can be integrated into one microprocessor, a so-called smart chip, and the control unit 101 itself becomes the smart control unit 40. [ Accordingly, the control unit 101, that is, the integrated smart control device 40, can implement all the functions of the smart meter 20 and the energy management device 30 described above with only one device. That is, the control unit 101 can measure the used electric power and the charge to be charged, receive the supplied electric energy and the electric power charge, receive the user, and provide the measured information. Also, the control unit 101 can directly control the operation of the home appliance based on the received and measured information according to a predetermined control method. Therefore, the power management network 10 can be operated without the smart meter 20 and the energy management device 30 by the smart control device 40 or the integrated control part 101 thereof.

The heating and cooling apparatus 100 also has a power supply unit 102 and the power supply unit 102 supplies power to the heating and cooling apparatus 100. The input unit 103 allows a user to give an operation instruction to the air conditioner 100 directly, and corresponds to a control panel of the air conditioner. The communication unit 104 connects the cooling / heating unit 100 and other components in the smart grid to receive various information and instructions. That is, the communication unit 104 includes a receiving apparatus for receiving the external and internal power information and various other information, and a transmitting apparatus for transmitting control signals and other information based on the received information. Also, the communication unit 104 may communicate with other components in the smart grid in the same manner as the communication unit 33 of the energy management device 30. [ The sensor unit 105 senses the operating conditions of the air conditioner 100 and conditions related to the operation such as temperature and humidity. The display unit 106 includes a display panel and can display various power information as well as information related to the operation of the air conditioning apparatus 100. [

The compressor 107 basically sucks and pressurizes the refrigerant and discharges the refrigerant, thereby causing the refrigerant to circulate along the refrigerant tube in the air conditioner 100. More specifically, the compressor 107 sucks the vaporized low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant to increase the pressure of the refrigerant to the saturation pressure corresponding to the condensation temperature. That is, the compressor 107 discharges gas refrigerant of high temperature and high pressure.

The outdoor heat exchanger 108 removes heat from the gaseous refrigerant by exchanging the gaseous refrigerant of high temperature and high pressure with the ambient air and the cooling water when the cooling and heating device 100 cools the indoor space, . Therefore, the gas refrigerant condenses into the high-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant. That is, the outdoor heat exchanger 108 operates as a condenser during cooling.

On the other hand, when the air conditioner 100 heats the indoor space, that is, operates according to the heat pump cycle, the outdoor heat exchanger 108 causes the refrigerant to absorb heat through heat exchange, , And low-pressure liquid refrigerant is vaporized into low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant. That is, the outdoor heat exchanger 108 functions as an evaporator at the time of heating.

The expansion valve 109 is a device for rapidly expanding the liquefied high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant into a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant.

The indoor heat exchanger (110) operates in opposition to the outdoor heat exchanger (108). More specifically, the indoor heat exchanger 110 operates as a condenser at the time of heating, that is, when operating with a heat pump cycle. A pipe connected to the water supply source is provided adjacent to the indoor heat exchanger (110). Accordingly, the indoor heat exchanger 110 heats the pipe and the water flowing along the pipe, so that the water is heated. On the other hand, the indoor heat exchanger (110) operates as an evaporator at the time of cooling, that is, in a refrigeration cycle. Accordingly, the indoor heat exchanger 110 absorbs heat from the water in the surrounding piping, so that the water is cooled.

The first fan 111 is provided in the outdoor heat exchanger 108 and blows air to the outdoor heat exchanger 108 so that heat exchange with air is performed well. The pump 113 is installed on the pipe, and circulates the water heated or cooled in the indoor heat exchanger 110 along a pipe installed in the house.

The compressor 107, the outdoor heat exchanger 108, and the first fan 111 described above are accommodated in the outdoor unit 130 shown in Fig. The indoor heat exchanger 110 and the pump 113 are accommodated in the indoor unit 140. The outdoor unit 130 generates a large noise and is generally disposed outdoors. On the other hand, the indoor unit 140 is disposed in the room so that water heated or cooled by the external environment is not affected. In addition, the cooling and heating apparatus 100 has a water storage tank 141 for preliminarily storing the water heated by the indoor heat exchanger 110. The water storage tank 141 may have an auxiliary heater that reheats the stored water to maintain the temperature of the heated water. The heated water from the water storage tank 141 can be supplied directly through a faucet or a shower so that the user can use the water for various purposes. In addition, the heating / cooling apparatus 100 may have a bottom pipe 142 embedded in the bottom of the house. The heated water in the indoor heat exchanger 110 may be selectively supplied to the tub 141 or the bottom pipe 142 through the valve 114. The heated water circulates through the bottom pipe 142 to heat the floor adjacent thereto, thereby heating the room. On the other hand, the cooling and heating apparatus 100 includes a radiator 143, and an auxiliary heat exchanger having a pipe through which water heated or cooled by the indoor unit 140 passes is installed in the radiator 143. These auxiliary heat exchangers heat or cool the surrounding air through heat exchange. In the radiator 143, a second fan 112 is provided adjacent to the auxiliary heat exchanger, and blows the cooled or heated air into the indoor space.

As described above, the cooling / heating apparatus 100 basically operates based on the heat pump cycle, and uses the refrigerant that has been heat-exchanged with the outside air in the outdoor unit 130, . Therefore, the heating / cooling apparatus 100 can use the heated water to directly supply hot water to the user through the water storage tank 141, or to supply the hot water to the user through the bottom pipe 142 and the radiator 143, . Meanwhile, the cooling / heating apparatus 100 can further cool the water through the heat exchange in the indoor unit 140 while operating according to the refrigeration cycle, and can cool the water through the radiator 143 The indoor space can be cooled. Since the heating and cooling apparatus 100 is operated by electricity, it can be operated at a lower cost than conventional boilers using oil or gas and does not cause pollution. Also, the heating / cooling apparatus 100 is safe when compared with a conventional boiler, and its installation and maintenance are easy. Furthermore, the cooling / heating device 100 has versatility because it enables not only the supply / heating of hot water but also the cooling with only one cooling / heating device 100.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control method of the air conditioner according to the present invention, and a control method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In the absence of other explanations, the control method below is part of a home appliance and is entirely controlled by a smart control device 40, which is either provided as an independent device or integrated into the control of the home appliance. However, it is understandable that this control method of the present invention can be controlled not only by the smart meter 20 / energy management device 30 but also by another control device of the air conditioner capable of performing the same function. Further, in addition to the general structure of the air conditioning apparatus described above, the detailed structure and function required for the control method are described together with the detailed steps of the following control method.

First, the cooling / heating apparatus 100 recognizes power information during operation (S1). In the recognition step S1, the smart control device 40 actually recognizes the power information. Here, the power information may include components of the Smart Grid disposed outside the home, for example, the power supply amount received from the power company 50 and the power rate, as described above. Further, the power information may include actual usage amount (including the amount of power used in the air conditioner itself) actively received or measured in the smart control device 40 from the components inside the home, that is, household appliances, Include the electricity bill to be billed. In order to suppress power usage among the power information, the power rate is the most important parameter. Accordingly, the control of the cooling / heating apparatus described below is performed based on the power rate of the power information.

More specifically, in the recognition step (S1), the heating / cooling apparatus receives the power information from the power company (50). In the receiving step, the smart control device 40 receives power information including a power charge and various other information. Actually, the power rate is a power rate per unit time, and the power rate per unit time is changed according to the overall power demand and the power generation amount, as described above. Generally, the electricity price per unit time may be a power rate per hour, but the predetermined unit time may be increased or decreased.

The power information including the electric power charges per unit time can be received in real time in the smart control device 40. [ Meanwhile, the smart control device 40 may receive a table including power information for a predetermined time period. That is, the table includes power charges per different unit time for a predetermined period. A power supplier, for example a utility, can pre-create a table, or schedule, that includes power charges per unit time, predicting power demand and power production, and providing it to the consumer. These tables typically include power charges per unit time during a day, but may include power charges per unit time during a longer or shorter period of time.

After the reception step, the smart control device 40 of the air conditioner 100 extracts necessary information from the received power information. More specifically, the smart control device 40 extracts the electric charge information from the received electric power information, and finally recognizes the electric power charge. Other information contained in the received power information may be recognized by the smart control device 40 in a similar manner.

After completion of the recognition step S1, the heating and cooling apparatus 100 determines whether the current electric power charge is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value (S2). In the determining step S2, the smart control device 40 determines whether the recognized current power rate per unit time is equal to or greater than a preset reference value. The reference value may be, for example, an average value of all power charges (i.e., power charges per all unit hours) for the past predetermined time period (one week or one month). On the other hand, the reference value may be an average value of the electricity charges per unit time in the past predetermined time. Thus, if the current power charge is above the reference value, it means that the current power charge is relatively expensive, and if the current power charge is below the reference value, it can mean that the current power charge is relatively cheap.

Meanwhile, the recognition and determination steps S1 and S2 are performed during the operation of the air conditioner 100. [ As described above, during the operation of the cooling / heating apparatus 100, the outdoor heat exchanger 108 of the outdoor unit 130 performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outside air in accordance with the heat pump cycle or the refrigeration cycle. The compressor 107 continuously compresses the refrigerant. The indoor heat exchanger (110) of the indoor unit (140) controls the temperature of water in the pipe through heat exchange using the heat exchanged refrigerant. That is, the indoor heat exchanger 110 heats or cools water in the pipe. The heated or cooled water circulates through a pipe extending along the room by the pump 113 and is selectively supplied to the water storage tank 141, the bottom pipe 142 and the radiator 143 by the valve 114 do. Thereafter, power may be wasted if the cooling / heating apparatus 100 is additionally operated in spite of a predetermined condition being reached. Particularly, unlike the heat exchanger 108 and the first fan 111 of the outdoor unit 130, the compressor 107 uses the power of the motor rotating at a high speed, so that a considerable amount of electric power is used. Therefore, the smart control device 40 determines whether or not the compressor 107 of the outdoor unit 130 is to be stopped, in order to prevent waste of power due to unnecessary operation (S3 ).

More specifically, in the case of heating operation, the smart control device 40 controls the indoor temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 110 to be lower than the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 110 when the temperature of the heated water discharged from the indoor heat exchanger 110 reaches a predetermined temperature. 107). Alternatively, in the case of cooling operation, the smart control device 40 stops the compressor 107 when the temperature of the indoor space to be cooled reaches a predetermined temperature. On the other hand, if the temperature of the heated water or the temperature of the indoor space does not reach the predetermined temperature, the compressor 107 continuously operates to heat and cool the water through the additional heat exchange, (S4).

When the compressor 107 is stopped, the heat exchanged refrigerant is no longer supplied to the indoor unit 140, so that the indoor unit 140 is not further heated or cooled. Also, when comparing with other devices in the indoor unit 140, the pump 140 using the power of the motor uses the most power. Accordingly, in order to suppress the unnecessary use of electric power, the pump 113 is also stopped after the compressor 107 is stopped (S5). However, the pipe in the indoor unit 140 is already heated or cooled by heat exchange. Therefore, in order to effectively use such heat-exchanged water, the pump 113 is stopped after a predetermined time after the compressor 107 is stopped. That is, there is a predetermined delay time from when the compressor 107 is stopped to when the pump 113 is stopped. Therefore, even after the compressor 107 is stopped, the pump 113 is continuously operated for the predetermined delay time, and the indoor pipe 140 is supplied with the preheated or cooled water to the indoor pipe. The delay time may preferably be set to two minutes in order to ensure sufficient time for all of the preheated or cooled water to flow into the indoor piping.

The heated or cooled water may need to be circulated through the indoor pipe in order for the bottom pipe 142 and the radiator 143 to continuously perform cooling and heating after the pump 113 is stopped. Thus, alternatively, the pump 113 may be driven intermittently to circulate water even after the stop step S5.

On the other hand, once the compressor 107 starts to operate, the indoor unit 140 heats or cools the water by the refrigerant heat-exchanged with the air in the outdoor unit 130, and such water must be directly supplied to the indoor piping. Further, water is continuously supplied to the indoor unit 140 for continuous heating and cooling. Therefore, once the compressor 107 is activated, the pump 113 must also be operated together. That is, the operation of the pump 113 is dependent on the operation of the compressor 107. In this case, if it is determined that the operation of the compressor should be stopped, that is, the determination step S3 is performed again during the delay time, and it is determined in step S3 that the compressor 107 should be operated , The compressor (107) is operated and the pump (113) is also operated (S4). Therefore, if the determination step S3 is continued in real time, the pump 113 can not be stopped after a predetermined time and is actually continuously operated even though the compressor 107 is intermittently stopped. In addition, if the current electricity price is higher than the predetermined reference value, that is, if the electricity price is relatively high in the determining step S2, a substantial increase in the electric power charge is additionally generated.

For this reason, if the current power charge is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference value in the determination step S2, the smart control device 40 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the pump operation was stopped. S6, the smart control device 40 determines again whether to activate or deactivate the compressor 107 only when a predetermined time has elapsed. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the smart control device 40 continuously maintains the stopped state of the pump 113.

Therefore, the time period from the execution of the determination step S3 to the execution of the determination step S3, that is, the execution period of the determination step S3, is greater than the delay time by at least the predetermined time. More specifically, the determination step (S3) is not performed until a predetermined time elapses after the pump operation is stopped, that is, until the period of the determination step (S3) elapses. Accordingly, even if the conditions for operating the compressor 107 are satisfied, the compressor 107 is kept in a stopped state at least until the determination step S3 is performed. Therefore, even if the condition for operating the compressor 107 again is satisfied, the pump 113 is reliably stopped during the predetermined time after the delay time. For this reason, during a time period in which the power charge is relatively high, the pump 113 can remain stationary for the predetermined time without unnecessary operation, so that the power consumption can be reduced and the power charge can be saved. The predetermined time, that is, the stopping time of the pump 113, may be set to about 2-3 minutes for a sufficient reduction in power usage. That is, the determination step S3 is performed again after a lapse of at least 2 minutes to 3 minutes after the operation of the pump 113 is stopped. The execution period of the determination step S3 is set to 4-5 minutes since it corresponds to the sum of the delay time (2 minutes) and the predetermined stop duration (2-3 minutes). As is known, the motor of the compressor 107 uses the most power when starting operation. Thus, due to the period of sufficient enough determination step S3, the repetition of stopping and operation of the compressor 107 is reduced, so that power usage and charge can be reduced.

On the other hand, if the current electricity rate is less than the predetermined reference value in the determination step S2, the current electricity rate is relatively inexpensive. Accordingly, in this case, if it is continuously determined whether the compressor 107 should be operated with reference to a predetermined condition, the cooling / heating device 100 can respond to the request of the user more quickly. Therefore, if the current power charge is less than the predetermined reference value in the determining step S2, the determining step S3 may be performed in real time, preferably one second.

As described above, the control method and apparatus described above sets the determination period when the recognized power rate is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference value to be longer than the determination period when the power rate is less than the predetermined reference value. That is, the determination period is set to be different depending on whether the recognized power charge is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value. Thus, the above-described control method and apparatus actively change the period for determining whether to stop or operate the compressor in response to the recognized power charge, thereby reliably stopping the pump that is dependent on the operation of the compressor for a predetermined time , Thereby significantly reducing power usage and power costs.

10: power management network 20: smart meter
30: Energy management device 40: Smart control device
50: power company 60: auxiliary power source
100: Heat pump type air conditioner

Claims (14)

Recognizing a current power charge;
Adjusting the temperature of the water in the indoor unit using the refrigerant heat-exchanged with the air in the outdoor unit;
Circulating the temperature-regulated water in an indoor pipe by using a pump;
Stopping the compressor of the outdoor unit when a predetermined condition is reached;
Continuously driving the pump for a predetermined delay time in order to supply the indoor pipe with water that has undergone heat exchange in advance with the refrigerant in the indoor unit after the compressor is stopped, and stopping the pump when the predetermined delay time elapses; And
And changing a period for determining whether to stop or operate the compressor in response to the recognized power charge,
The delay time is set to a time sufficient for all of the preheated or cooled water to flow into the indoor piping through heat exchange with the refrigerant,
Wherein the step of changing the period sets the determination period to be different according to whether the recognized power charge is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value,
Wherein the determination period when the recognized power rate is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference value is set longer than the determination period when the power rate is less than the predetermined reference value,
Wherein the step of changing the period comprises: determining whether the recognized current power charge is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value; And setting a determination period for determining whether to operate or stop the compressor to be greater than the delay time if the power charge is determined to be equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value,
Wherein the setting step comprises the steps of: determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed after the pump operation is stopped; and determining whether to operate or stop the compressor when the predetermined time has elapsed. Way. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the power charge recognition step comprises receiving the current power charge from the power company in the heat pump type air conditioner. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the power charge is a power charge per predetermined unit time. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the power charge recognition step comprises receiving the electric power charge in real time in the heat pump type air conditioner or receiving it as a table including electric power charges for a predetermined period of time. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the adjusting step comprises heating or cooling water at room temperature supplied from a water supply source through heat exchange with the refrigerant in the indoor unit. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the stopping the compressor includes stopping the compressor based on the temperature of the heated water discharged from the indoor unit during the heating operation or stopping the compressor based on the temperature of the room during the cooling operation. A method of controlling a pump type air conditioner. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the pump is continuously operated so as to supply the indoor pipe with the preheated or cooled water in the indoor unit for the predetermined delay time even after the compressor stops. delete delete delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the controller determines again whether the compressor should be operated or stopped after a lapse of at least two minutes after the pump operation is stopped in the setting step. The method according to claim 1,
The changing step
Determining whether the recognized current power charge is greater than or equal to a predetermined reference value;
And judging whether to activate or stop the compressor in real time if it is determined that the electric power charge is less than a predetermined reference value. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the determination period is one second. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > 11. < / RTI >

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