KR20110069575A - A control method for an electric appliance having a detachable communication modem - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method for controlling an electric product which a detachable communication modem is mounted are provided to transmit operation information, additional operation information, and power information stored in the electric product in a communication disable state of the communication modem. CONSTITUTION: A control unit transmits stored operating information and power information of an electric product if a communication modem is communicable(S501,S502). An EMS(Energy Management System) and a smart meter transmits the operating information and the power information to a power company or an electric product manufacturer(S503).

Description

A control method for an electric appliance having a detachable communication modem}

The present invention relates to a control method of an electrical appliance provided on a power management network and equipped with a detachable communication modem, and more particularly, operating information of an electrical appliance stored in an electrical appliance when a communication modem mounted on the electrical appliance is incapable of communication. It is designed to transmit this information to the outside when the communication modem resumes communication so that this information can be used externally.

Electric power for the operation of electrical appliances such as electrical appliances used in homes or office equipment used in offices is generally supplied through the power plant operated by KEPCO, transmission lines, and wiring lines. It is characteristic.

It has the characteristics of a central power source, not a distributed power source, a radial structure that spreads from the center to the periphery, and is characterized by a supplier center rather than a consumer center.

In addition, the technology base is analog or electromechanical, there is a problem that must be restored manually in case of an accident, and the equipment must also be restored manually.

The price information for electricity was not only available in real time, but only limitedly through the power exchange, and since the price system is also a de facto fixed price system, incentives such as incentives to consumers through price changes cannot be used. There was a problem.

In order to solve these problems and improve energy efficiency, researches on power grids that can implement flexible power control have been actively conducted. Such power control includes demand response control and intelligent power control.

As mentioned above, the current grid is a centralized, vertical and centralized network controlled by the producer, whereas the system for demand response control or intelligent power control is less concentrated on the supplier, the consumer and the supplier. It is a horizontal, cooperative, decentralized network that enables interaction between them.

On the other hand, in the case of such a flexible power control, in order to be realized from a power consumer such as a home or a building, a power management network in which individual electric appliances and a plurality of electric appliances are connected to the power supply source is unilaterally received. There is a need for bidirectional communication regarding power information and the need for new devices for such bidirectional communication.

The present invention is to meet the necessity as described above, by transmitting the operation information of the electrical appliance stored in the electrical appliance when the communication modem of the communication modem detachably provided in the electrical appliance to the outside when the communication modem restarts Its purpose is to provide a method of controlling electrical appliances that makes information available externally.

The present invention for achieving this object, (A) the step of mounting a removable communication modem in the electrical appliance;

(B) checking whether a communication modem connected to the electrical appliance on the power management network is available for communication;

(C) When the communication modem is in an incapable state of communication, the electric appliance itself checks and stores internal operation information, and when the communication modem changes to a communicable state, the operation information stored in the electric appliance is transferred to the outside of the electric appliance. Transmitting;

(D) when it is determined that the communication is possible in the communication check step, the control of the electrical product according to the power management program that can reduce the power consumption or power bill, characterized in that the removable communication modem is equipped with Provides a method for controlling electrical appliances.

Further comprising an energy management device or measuring device for processing and controlling the operation information or power information of the electrical appliance,

In the step (D), the control command of the electrical appliance for the execution of the power management program is characterized in that performed by the energy management device or the measuring device or the communication modem.

The power management program executed by the control of the energy management device, the measurement device, or the communication modem performs the operation of suppressing the power consumption and the electric charge during the peak time period or the operation of ensuring the upper limit target value of the power consumption value. Characterized in that.

Determining whether there is a response signal of the check signal transmitted from the energy management device or the electrical appliance to the communication modem;

Determining whether the check signal transmission frequency exceeds a predetermined reference number when there is no response signal;

And determining that the communication modem is in a communication incapable state when it is determined that the check signal transmission frequency exceeds a predetermined reference number.

When it is determined that the check signal transmission frequency does not exceed a predetermined reference number, the check signal is transmitted to the communication modem again.

Determining whether an electrical appliance equipped with the communication modem is operating when the communication modem is incapable of communication;

If it is determined that the electrical appliance is in operation, storing the information related to the current operation to the previously stored operation information;

If it is determined that the electrical appliance does not work, characterized in that it comprises the step of confirming the previously stored operating information.

Step (C) comprises: determining whether the communication modem is in a communication state by transmitting the check signal to the communication modem;

If it is determined that the communication modem is communicable, transmitting operation information of the electrical appliance operated in a state incapable of communication by the communication modem to the energy management device or the measurement device;

And transmitting operation information of the electrical appliance received by the energy management device or the measurement device to a power company operating a power management program.

(E) if there is a diagnosis request by the user's self-diagnosis program or a service request to the power company or electric appliance manufacturer, further comprising the step of performing a diagnosis or service request by the self-diagnosis program; It is characterized by.

According to the present invention, when the communication modem of the communication modem detachably provided in the electrical appliance, operation information, additional operation information, and power information stored in the electrical appliance can be sent to the outside when the communication modem can communicate.

That is, it transmits to the energy management system or measuring device connected to the electrical appliance and the network, and the operation information and power information transmitted in this way are transmitted to the power management program operator such as the power company, so that the user cannot communicate with the power company. To know the usage of electrical appliances.

On the other hand, by mounting a communication modem on the electrical product without a significant design change to the structure of the electrical product has the advantage that the electrical product can easily operate according to the power management program performed in the power management network, power bill and consumption It has the advantage of saving power.

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

1 shows a power management network 10 in a home.

The power management network 10 is connected to the measuring device (smart meter) 20 and the measuring device (smart meter) 20 that can measure the power and power rates supplied to each home in real time, home appliances Is connected to a plurality of electrical devices such as and has an energy management device (EMS) 30 for controlling their operation.

In this case, the electricity fee is charged based on the hourly rate, and the hourly electric charge is expensive in a time section in which the power consumption is rapidly increased, and the hourly electric power bill is inexpensive when the power consumption amount is relatively low.

The power management network 10 is driven by a power management program that efficiently manages and controls power rates and power consumption in the home based on the variable tariff over time.

In order to perform such a power management program, the energy management device (EMS) 30 and the measurement device (smart meter) 20 are able to communicate with the operator 50 of the power management program such as a power company.

Here, the energy management device (EMS) 30 has a screen 31 for displaying the current state of electricity consumption and the external environment (temperature, humidity), and provides an input button 32 or the like which can be operated by a user. It is preferably provided in the form of a terminal provided.

The energy management device (EMS) 30 and the measuring device (smart meter) 30 are simultaneously or selectively connected to a refrigerator 101, a washing machine and a dryer 102, and an air conditioner 103 through a power management network in a home. , And connected to electrical appliances, such as TV 105 or cooking appliance 104, to communicate with them.

Each of the electrical appliances is provided with a removable communication modem (200; 201 ~ 205) for wireless communication with the energy management device (EMS) 30 and the measuring device (smart meter) 30.

Here, the communication modem 200 is preferably coupled to the outside of the electrical product so that the user is easy to install and remove.

The communication method of the communication modem 200 is implemented by the ZigBee method, which is a kind of wireless communication method, and enables one-to-one communication, one-to-many communication, and many-to-many communication, but is not limited to only the ZigBee method, and other wireless communication methods. It is also possible.

Therefore, the power information or the operation information of the electrical appliance to which the communication modem 200 is connected is the energy management device (EMS) 30 or the measuring device (smart meter) 20 through the communication modem 200. And communication in the opposite direction is also possible.

In order to attach and detach the communication modem 200, each electrical product is preferably provided with a slot or port for mounting.

2 is a control block diagram to which each component is connected on the power management network according to the present invention.

Here, the power management program operating unit 50 may be a power company equipped with a general power generation equipment (fire, nuclear, hydro) or power generation equipment using renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal), etc. It is not limited to this.

In addition, the power management network includes a self-generating facility 51 such as a solar power generation facility that can be provided in each home, and a fuel cell 52 that can be provided in a fuel cell vehicle or a home.

The power supply source and the power management program operator 50 are connected to the measurement device (smart meter) 20 and the energy management device (EMS) 30.

In addition, the measuring device (smart meter) 20 and the energy management device (EMS) 30 is provided to communicate with the electrical appliances through the communication modem (200).

Here, in the configuration of the energy management device (EMS) 30, the control unit 35 and the input unit 38, the communication unit 34, the display unit 39, and the measuring device (smart meter) 20 ) Also includes a control unit 25, an input unit 28, a communication unit 24, and a display unit 29.

The communication unit (34, 24) is a communication modem (200) mounted in the home appliances, that is, the refrigerator 101, the washing machine or the dryer (102), the air conditioner (103), the cooking appliance (104). And 201 to 204 to transmit and receive power information and driving information.

In at least one of the energy management device (EMS) 30 and the measurement device (smart meter) 20, the control unit 25, 35 may include setting information input by the user by the input unit 28, 38; It captures real-time information on the operation and power usage of existing electrical appliances and the amount of power supplied from outside.

Then, the information is processed in real time to control the operation of the electrical appliances and to control the power supplied to these electrical appliances.

In addition, the display units 29 and 39 display power information supplied from a power supply or operation information and power information of an electric product, and matters regarding a communication state of each electric product.

The energy management device (EMS) 30 and the measuring device (smart meter) 20 serve to control the operation of the electrical appliance, the biggest role of which is to save the power bill when operating the electrical appliance It is to provide a power saving mode and an energy saving mode that can save power consumption.

Here, the power saving mode is performed based on the information on the power charge, which depends on the time of operation of the electric appliance.

The energy management device (EMS) 30 or the measuring device (smart meter) 20 controls the electrical appliance in consideration of peak time at which the electricity bill is the most expensive during the day, or considering the upper limit target of power consumption or electricity bill. It plays a role. .

In this case, it is preferable that the operation of power saving mode in consideration of the peak time period or the upper limit target value is performed by subscribing to the power management program provided by the electric power company.

If you subscribe to such a power management program and receive power management, you can not only save electricity bills, but also enjoy beneficial effects such as the electricity tariff reduction policy provided by the utility company.

The communication modems 200; 201 to 204 are provided with a control unit, a display unit, a communication unit, and an input unit to display a current communication state and receive a user's command.

The communication modem 200 is communicatively connected to the energy management device (EMS) 30 or the measurement device (smart meter) 20 to issue a command according to a power management program issued through the electrical appliance ( 100).

Thus, the electrical appliance 100 can perform a control operation according to the power management program.

In addition, the control unit of the communication modem 200 may be provided with a function of controlling the electrical appliance 100 in consideration of the upper limit target value of the power rate or power rate or power consumption according to the time zone. By doing so, power saving operation such as electric power saving operation or power consumption saving operation is possible.

 Each electrical appliance is provided with a display unit and a control unit. In addition, an operation state of each electrical appliance is displayed on the display unit, and a communication state of a communication modem mounted in the electrical appliance is displayed.

Accordingly, the user can easily recognize the communication state of the communication modem by looking at the energy management device (EMS) 30 or the measuring device (smart meter) 20, the communication modem 200, or each electric product. If the communication status is not normal, the communication modem connected to the electric appliance may be properly installed or replaced.

On the other hand, the control unit of the electrical appliance 100 stores the information necessary to perform its own power management program in the event of an emergency such as communication incommunication of the communication modem, such as operation time information or power consumption information of each conventional electrical appliance. Can be.

As shown in FIG. 3, the communication modem 200 is not embedded and fixed in the electrical appliance 100, but is inserted into a port or a slot provided in the electrical appliance 100.

Thus, since the user can easily mount or remove the communication modem 200 to the electrical appliance 100, the user purchases a new electrical appliance 100, connected to the power management network to perform a power management program You can easily do this yourself without the hassle of calling a service technician.

4 to 5 illustrate a control flowchart of a control method of an electric product equipped with a detachable communication modem.

First, when a communication modem is mounted on a specific electric product (S401), it is started to check whether the communication modem is mounted badly or not (S402).

Here, the check signal is transmitted from the energy management device (EMS) or the measuring device (smart meter) or the corresponding electrical appliance toward the communication modem (S403).

Thereafter, it is determined whether there is a response signal from the communication modem with respect to the transmitted check signal (S404). If there is no response signal, it is determined once whether the check signal transmission frequency m has exceeded the predetermined reference number n (S405).

This is because it is a reliability problem to determine whether the communication modem can communicate by sending the check signal only once, and it is possible to determine whether the communication is possible by sending the check signal several times. To judge and take further action.

If the transmission signal m of the check signal does not exceed the reference number n when there is no response signal, first, the check signal is transmitted again (S406 and S403).

On the other hand, when the number of transmissions (m) of the check signal exceeds the reference number (n) in the absence of a response signal, it is finally determined that the communication modem is in an incapable state.

In addition, the energy management device (EMS), the measuring device (smart meter), and the communication device are in communication with each other so that the user can quickly and easily recognize the communication failure state of the communication modem connected to a specific electric appliance. The display goes through a step (S406).

In this case, not only the time display but also the voice display such as an alarm sound can be displayed.

Due to the inability to communicate with the current communication modem, it is impossible to receive information related to the operation of the electrical appliance outside the electrical appliance. However, during normal operation, the control unit or data storage unit of the electrical appliance stores power information for each time zone and operation information for each time zone and stores them in a database form.

Therefore, first, a process of confirming the stored information is performed (S408).

In operation S409, the electronic device equipped with the communication modem is operated in the communication incapable state of the communication modem.

That is, even when the communication modem is incapable of communication, electrical appliances such as a washing machine or a dryer may operate by a user's arbitrary operation input, and electrical appliances such as a refrigerator may operate automatically without a user's separate input. This is because the case is normal.

If the electrical appliance is operated, the operation information and power information related to such operation are additionally stored in the electrical appliance (S410), and if the electrical appliance is not operated, the previously stored operation information and power information are checked. (S411)

Here, the power information is related to the change of the power rate for each time zone as shown in FIG. 8, and the operation information includes the operating state of each component for each time zone, power consumption information required to drive each of them, and each component. Contains information on the normal operation of the system.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5, it is determined whether the communication modem is capable of communicating with the electrical appliance, the energy management device (EMS), and the measuring device (smart meter) (S501). Operation information and power information of the additionally stored electrical appliances are transmitted to the energy management device (EMS) or the measurement device (smart meter) (S502).

In addition, the energy management device (EMS) and the measuring device (smart meter) transmit the received operation information and power information of the electrical appliance to a power company managing a power management program. Or it may transmit to the electrical appliance manufacturer via the Internet (S503).

As such, the reason for transmitting the operation information of the electrical appliance is to inform the user that the user is complying with the power management program even when communication is not available, or to help the improvement direction of the power management program when communication is not possible.

However, the reason is not limited thereto.

On the other hand, if the user requests to diagnose the failure or upgrade of the product through a self-diagnosis program, or if you request a service engineer of the power company or electric appliance manufacturer (S504), the energy management device (EMS) Performs a self-diagnosis program through the Internet network or performs a service request to a power company or an electric appliance manufacturer (S505).

This is to determine whether the communication failure is caused by a defect in the power management program provided by the utility company or a defect in the electric product itself.

As shown in Fig. 6, on the other hand, when there is a response signal from the communication modem mounted on the electric appliance, it is recognized that the current communication modem is properly mounted on the electric appliance, and it is determined that the present communication is possible (S601). )

In addition, the communication modem may communicate with the energy management device (EMS) or the measurement device (smart meter) (S602), thereby communicating with the power management program service provider (S603).

Subsequently, the user subscribes to the power management program and starts a control operation according to the power management program, thereby controlling the electric product (S604).

In this case, the power management program is a program that can reduce power consumption by minimizing or stopping the power consumption in the peak time section shown in FIG. 8, or consumption of each electric product with an upper limit of power consumption. If the target value is set and the upper limit is exceeded, it is preferable that the program stop the electric appliance or warn the user.

Peak Time Section Recognition Mode As to how to reduce the power bill, first, it is determined whether the current time belongs to the peak time section (S605), and if it belongs to the peak time section, the energy saving operation of the electric product is started. (S606)

This type of saving operation can be made in the direction of turning off the electrical appliance, waiting for a while, or reducing power consumption.

Then, it is determined whether the peak time section has ended (S607), and if the peak time has ended, the operation returns to the original set state operation of the electric product (for example, on operation, resume operation, power consumption original state operation) (S608).

The operation of such electrical appliances can be made by an energy management device (EMS) or a measuring device (smart meter) that executes a power management program as described above, as well as such a control function (power consumption during peak time periods) in the communication modem. Suppression control function, control function according to the upper limit target value setting) may be achieved by the communication modem.

According to such a control method, as shown in FIG. 7, the energy management device (EMS) 30 displays communication status and real-time energy information of electrical appliances, and real-time power consumption of each electrical appliance, and the user easily recognizes them. can do.

Such information may also appear in the measuring device (smart meter).

As shown in Fig. 8, the power charge is maximized in the time interval in which the normal power consumption is maximum, and this interval becomes the peak time interval.

When power is consumed in the peak time section, the power charge is more expensive than when power is consumed in the section other than the peak time period. Thus, when the power is used according to the above-described power management program, the power rate can be saved.

1 is a schematic diagram of a power management network including an electrical appliance equipped with a communication modem of the present invention.

2 is a control block diagram of a power management network including an electrical appliance equipped with a communication modem of the present invention.

3 is a perspective view showing a mounting state of the communication modem and the electrical appliance of the present invention.

4 and 5 are control flowcharts illustrating the communication state of the communication modem of the present invention and the case of communication failure.

FIG. 6 is a control flowchart illustrating the execution of a power management program when the communication modem of the present invention operates normally.

7 is a front view of the energy management apparatus displaying the results according to the control method of the present invention.

8 is a graph of power rates and power consumption over time.

<Description of Main Parts of the Present Invention>

20: measuring device 30: energy management system

24, 34: communication unit 25, 35: control unit

28, 38: input unit 29, 39: display unit

50: power management program operator 200: communication modem

Claims (8)

(A) mounting a removable communication modem on the electrical appliance; (B) checking whether a communication modem connected to the electrical appliance on the power management network is available for communication; (C) When the communication modem is in an incapable state of communication, the electric appliance itself checks and stores internal operation information, and when the communication modem changes to a communicable state, the operation information stored in the electric appliance is transferred to the outside of the electric appliance. Transmitting; (D) when it is determined that the communication is possible in the communication check step, the control of the electrical product according to the power management program that can reduce the power consumption or power bill, characterized in that the removable communication modem is equipped with Control of electrical appliances. The method of claim 1, Further comprising an energy management device or measuring device for processing and controlling the operation information or power information of the electrical appliance, In the step (D), the control command of the electrical appliance for the execution of the power management program is an electrical appliance equipped with a removable communication modem, characterized in that performed by the energy management device or the measuring device or the communication modem. Control method. The method of claim 2, The power management program executed by the control of the energy management device, the measurement device, or the communication modem performs the operation of suppressing the power consumption and the electric charge during the peak time period or the operation of ensuring the upper limit target value of the power consumption value. Control method of an electric product equipped with a removable communication modem, characterized in that. The method of claim 1, Step (B) is Determining whether there is a response signal of the check signal transmitted from the energy management device or the electrical appliance to the communication modem; Determining whether the check signal transmission frequency exceeds a predetermined reference number when there is no response signal; And determining that the communication modem has become incapable of communication if it is determined that the check signal transmission frequency has exceeded a predetermined reference number of times. 5. The method of claim 4, And when it is determined that the check signal transmission frequency has not exceeded a predetermined reference number, transmitting the check signal to the communication modem again. The method of claim 1, Step (C) is Determining whether an electrical appliance equipped with the communication modem is operating when the communication modem is incapable of communication; If it is determined that the electrical appliance is in operation, storing the information related to the current operation to the previously stored operation information; If it is determined that the electrical appliance does not work, the control method of the electrical appliance equipped with a removable communication modem, characterized in that it comprises the step of confirming the previously stored operating information. The method of claim 1, Step (C) is Determining whether the communication modem is in a communication state by transmitting the check signal to the communication modem; If it is determined that the communication modem is communicable, transmitting operation information of the electrical appliance operated in a state incapable of communication by the communication modem to the energy management device or the measurement device; And transmitting operation information of the electrical appliance received by the energy management device or the measuring device to a power company operating a power management program. The method of claim 1, (E) if there is a diagnosis request by the user's self-diagnosis program or a service request to the power company or electric appliance manufacturer, further comprising the step of performing a diagnosis or service request by the self-diagnosis program; Control method of an electric product equipped with a removable communication modem, characterized in that.

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