KR20120000020A - Network system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A network system is provided to effectively manage energy which could be a gas, water, or electricity. CONSTITUTION: A utility network(120) includes an energy supply unit which supplies energy. A home network(220) includes an energy consuming unit which consumes energy supplied from the energy supply unit. The home network communicates with the utility network. The communication information between the utility network and the home network includes information about at least one of a gas, water, and electricity and additional information.

Description

Network system

The present invention relates to a network system.

The supplier simply supplied energy sources such as electricity, water and gas, and the consumer simply used the supplied energy sources. Therefore, effective management in terms of energy production, distribution, or energy use has been difficult to carry out.

In other words, energy is a radial structure that is distributed from energy suppliers toward multiple demand sources, that is, spreads from the center to the periphery, and is characterized by unidirectional supplier center, not consumer center.

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 this problem, there have been a lot of efforts in recent years to implement a horizontal, cooperative, and distributed network that effectively manages energy and enables interaction between consumers and suppliers.

An object of the present invention is to provide a network system capable of effectively managing an energy source and reducing electric charges and / or energy consumption.

According to an aspect, a network system includes: a utility network including an energy supply unit supplying an energy source; And a home network including an energy consumption unit consuming an energy source supplied from the energy supply unit, wherein the home network is communicatively connected to the utility network. And additional information other than the information on at least one and information on the gas, water and electricity.

According to another aspect, a network system includes a utility network including an energy supply unit to which an energy source is supplied; And a home network including an energy consumption unit consuming an energy source supplied from the energy supply unit, the home network being communicatively connected to the utility network, wherein the communication information between the utility network and the home network is related to a plurality of energy sources. It includes a plurality of additional information other than the information or the energy source information.

According to the proposed invention, effective management of energy sources including at least one of gas, water and electricity is possible.

In addition, it is possible to optimize the energy consumption state of the energy consumption unit that consumes a plurality of energy sources.

1 is a view schematically showing a first embodiment using electricity as an energy source in a network system according to the present invention;
2 is a block diagram schematically showing a first embodiment in which electricity is used as an energy source in a network system according to the present invention;
3 is a block diagram schematically showing a second embodiment of using water as an energy source in a network system according to the present invention;
4 is a block diagram schematically showing a third embodiment using gas as an energy source in a network system according to the present invention;
5 is a block diagram schematically showing a fourth embodiment using gas, water and electricity as energy sources in a network system according to the present invention;
6 is a block diagram schematically showing an integrated control form in a fourth embodiment of a network system according to the present invention;
7 is a block diagram showing an information delivery process on a network system of the present invention.
8 is a graph for explaining the type of energy source charge in the network system of the present invention.
9 is a block diagram schematically showing a first communication mode of a network system according to the present invention;
10 is a block diagram schematically showing a second communication mode of the network system according to the present invention;
11 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a third communication mode of a network system according to the present invention.

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

1 is a view schematically showing a first embodiment using electricity as an energy source in a network system according to the present invention.

This network system is a system for managing energy sources such as electricity, water, and gas. The energy source means that the amount of generation, the amount of use, etc. can be measured.

Thus, energy sources not mentioned above may also be included in the management of this system. In the present embodiment, as an energy source will be described with respect to electricity as an example, the contents of the present specification can be equally applied to other energy sources.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary network system includes a power plant that generates electricity. The power plant may include a power plant that generates electricity through thermal power generation or nuclear power generation, and a power plant using hydro, solar, wind, and the like, which are environmentally friendly energy.

In addition, the electricity generated in the power plant is transmitted to the power station through the transmission line, and in the power station (substation) to transmit electricity to the substation so that the electricity is distributed to the demand destination, such as home or office.

In addition, the electricity produced by the environmentally friendly energy is also transmitted to the substation to be distributed to each customer. Then, the electricity transmitted from the substation is distributed to the office or home via the electrical storage device or directly.

Even in homes that use a home area network (HAN), they can produce, store, or distribute their own electricity through solar light or fuel cells mounted on a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), The surplus electricity can also be sold back to the outside world (for example, the utility).

In addition, the network system includes a smart meter for real-time measuring the electricity usage of the demand destination (home or office, etc.), and a meter (AMI: Advanced Metering infrastructure) for real-time measurement of the electricity usage of a plurality of demand destinations. May be included. That is, the measuring device may receive the information measured by the plurality of smart meters to measure the electricity usage.

In this specification, the measurement includes not only the smart meter and the measuring device itself measuring, but also that the smart meter and the measuring device can recognize the generation amount or the usage amount from other components.

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

In the present 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, one or more energy management devices may be present in separate configurations, or may be included in one or more components as an energy management function or solution.

2 is a block diagram schematically showing a first embodiment using electricity as an energy source in a network system according to the present invention.

1 and 2, the embodiment uses electricity as an energy source.

The network system of the present invention is constituted by a number of components. For example, power plants, substations, power stations, energy management devices, appliances, smart meters, capacitors, web servers, instrumentation devices, and home servers are the components of network systems.

In addition, in the present invention, each component may be constituted by a plurality of detailed components. For example, when one component is a home appliance, a detailed component may be a microcomputer, a heater, a display, a motor, etc. constituting the home appliance.

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

In addition, one network may be one component or may be composed of multiple components.

In the present specification, a network system in which communication information is related to electricity may be referred to as an electricity grid.

The network system according to an exemplary embodiment may be configured with a utility network (UAN) 120 and a home network (HAN) 220. The utility network 120 and the home network 220 may communicate by wire or wirelessly by a communication means.

In this specification, a home means a group of specific components such as a building, a company, as well as a home in a dictionary meaning. And, utility means a group of specific components outside the home.

The utility network 120 includes an electricity generation component 121 that generates electricity, an electricity distribution component 122 that distributes or transmits electricity, and an electricity storage unit that stores electricity. An electricity storage component 123, an electricity management component 124 for managing electricity, and an electricity metering component 125 for measuring electricity-related information.

When at least one component of the utility network 120 consumes electricity, the component that consumes electricity may be an electricity consumption unit. That is, the electric consumer may be a separate configuration or may be included in other components.

The electricity generating unit 121 may be, for example, a power plant. The electricity distribution unit 122 distributes or delivers electricity stored in the electricity generation unit 121 and / or electricity stored in the electricity storage unit 123 to the electricity consumption unit. The electrical distribution unit 122 may be a power transmitter, substation, power station, or the like.

The electrical storage unit 123 may be a storage battery, and the electrical management unit 124 may be associated with electricity, the electricity generating unit 121, the electrical distribution unit 122, the electrical storage unit 123, and the electricity consumption unit ( 226 generates information for driving one or more of them. For example, the electrical management unit 124 may generate a command regarding the operation of at least a specific component.

The electrical management unit 124 may be an energy management device. The electrical measuring unit 125 may measure information related to generation, distribution, consumption, storage, etc. of electricity, and may be, for example, a measuring device (AMI). The electrical management unit 124 may be a separate configuration or may be included as an electrical management function in other components.

The utility network 120 may communicate with the home network 220 by a terminal component (not shown). The terminal component may be, for example, a gateway. Such terminal components may be provided in one or more of the utility network 120 and the home network 220.

Meanwhile, the home network 220 includes an electricity generation component 221 for generating electricity, an electricity distribution component 222 for distributing electricity, and an electricity storage unit for storing electricity. a storage component 223, an electricity management component 224 that manages electricity, an electricity metering component 225 that measures information related to electricity, and an electricity consumption unit that consumes electricity. consumption component 226, Central management component 227 for controlling a plurality of components, Electrical Grid Assistance Component 228, Accessory component 229, and Consumable Handling. component: 230).

The electricity generation unit 221 may be a household generator, the electricity storage component 223 may be a storage battery, and the electricity management component 224 may be an energy management device. have.

The electricity metering component 225 may measure information related to generation, distribution, consumption, storage, etc. of electricity, and may be, for example, a smart meter.

For example, the electric consumer 226 may be a home appliance (a refrigerator, a washing machine, an air conditioner, a cooking appliance, a cleaner, a dryer, a dishwasher, a dehumidifier, a display device, a lighting device, etc.) or a heater, a motor, a display, etc. constituting the home appliance. Can be. Note that there is no limitation in the type of the electric consumer 226 in this embodiment.

The electrical manager 224 may be an individual component or may be included as an electrical management function in another component. The electrical management unit 221 may communicate with one or more components to transmit and receive information.

The electricity generator 221, the electricity distributor 222, and the electricity storage 223 may be individual components or may constitute a single component.

The central management unit 227 may be, for example, a home server controlling a plurality of home appliances.

The electric network assisting part 228 is a component having an original function while providing an additional function for the electric power grid. For example, the network assisting unit 228 may be a web service providing unit (for example, a computer), a mobile device, a television, or the like.

The accessory component 229 is an electric network only component that performs additional functions for the electric network. For example, the accessory component 229 may be a meteorological reception antenna dedicated to an electric network.

The consumer handling component 230 is a component that stores, supplies, and delivers the consumer, and may identify or recognize information about the consumer. The consumer may be, for example, an article or material that is used or processed during the operation of the electrical consumer 226. In addition, the consumer processor 230 may be managed by the electric manager 224 as an example in an electric network.

For example, the consumer may be a laundry cloth in a washing machine, a food in a cooking appliance, a detergent or a fabric softener for washing a laundry cloth in a washing machine, a seasoning for cooking a cooking electric machine, or the like.

The above-mentioned electricity generating unit 121, 221, electrical distribution unit 122, 222, electrical storage unit 123, 223, electrical management unit 124, 224, electrical measuring unit 125, 225, electrical consumption unit 226, the central management unit 227, each independently exist or two or more may constitute a single component.

For example, the electric management unit 124, 224, the electric measuring unit 125, 225, the central management unit 227 is a single component, each of which performs a smart meter, energy management device, home server to perform each function Or, the electrical management unit 124, 224, electrical measurement unit 125, 225, the central management unit 227 may form a single component mechanically.

In addition, in performing one function, the function may be sequentially performed in a plurality of components and / or communication means. For example, the electric management function may be sequentially performed in a separate electric management unit, the electric measuring unit, and the electric consumption unit.

In addition, a plurality of components of a specific function constituting the utility network and the home network may be provided. For example, there may be a plurality of electricity generation units or electricity consumption units.

On the other hand, the utility network 120 and the home network 220 may communicate by a communication means (first interface). In this case, the plurality of utility networks 120 may communicate with a single home network 220, and the single utility network 120 may communicate with a plurality of home networks 220.

For example, the communication means may be a simple communication line or a power line communication means. Of course, the power line communication means may include a communicator (eg, a modem) connected to each of the two components. As another example, the communication means may be zigbee, wi-fi, Bluetooth, or the like.

In the present specification, there is no limitation on the method for wired communication or the method for wireless communication.

Two components constituting the utility network 120 may communicate by communication means.

In addition, the two components constituting the home network 220 may communicate by a communication means (second interface). For example, the electrical consumption unit 226 may communicate with one or more of the electrical management unit 224, the electrical measurement unit 225, the central management unit 227, the network assisting unit 228, and the like (second interface). Can communicate by

In addition, the microcomputer of each component (for example, the electric consumer) may communicate with the communication means (second interface) (third interface). For example, when the electrical consumer is a household appliance, the electrical consumer may receive information from the electrical management unit by a communication means (second interface), and the received information is a microcomputer of the household appliance by a third interface. Can be delivered.

In addition, the electricity consumption unit 226 may communicate with the accessory component 229 by a communication means (fourth interface). In addition, the electrical consumer 226 may communicate with the consumer processor 230 by a communication means (a fifth interface).

3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a second embodiment of using water as an energy source in a network system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, this embodiment uses water as an energy source.

The network system of the present invention is constituted by a number of components. For example, intake stations, settlement basins, blended papers, flocculation basins, sedimentation basins, filter papers, water purifiers, water pipes, water management devices, washing machines, dishwashers, water purifiers, web servers and home servers are the components of the network system.

In addition, in the present invention, each component may be constituted by a plurality of detailed components. For example, when one component is a home appliance, a detailed component may be a microcomputer, a valve, a display, a motor, etc. constituting the home appliance.

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

In addition, one network may be one component or may be composed of multiple components.

In the present specification, a network system in which communication information is related to water may be referred to as a water grid.

The network system according to an embodiment may be configured of a utility network (UAN) 140 and a home network (HAN) 240. The utility network 140 and the home network 240 may communicate by wire or wirelessly by communication means.

In this specification, a home means a group of specific components such as a building, a company, as well as a home in a dictionary meaning. And, utility means a group of specific components outside the home.

The utility network 140 may include a water generation component 141 for supplying water, a water distribution component 142 for distributing or delivering water, and a water storage unit for storing water. component 143, a water management component 144 for managing water, and a water metering component 145 for measuring water related information.

When one or more components constituting the utility network 140 consume water, the component consuming water may be a water consumer. That is, the water consumption unit may be a separate configuration or may be included in other components.

The water supply unit 141 may be an intake station, for example. The water distribution unit 142 distributes or delivers the water generated in the water supply unit 141 and / or the water stored in the water storage unit 143 to the water consumption unit. The water distribution unit 142 may be a water pipe.

The water storage unit 143 may be a water tank, and the water management unit 144 is related to water, the water supply unit 141, water distribution unit 142, water storage unit 143, water consumption unit 246 Generates information for one or more of the driving. For example, the water management unit 144 may generate a command regarding the operation of at least a specific component.

The water management unit 144 may be a water management device. The water measuring unit 145 may measure information related to water supply, distribution, consumption, storage, and the like, and may be, for example, a measuring device (AMI). The water management unit 144 may be a separate configuration or may be included as a water management function in other components.

The utility network 140 may communicate with the home network 240 by a terminal component (not shown). The terminal component may be, for example, a gateway. Such terminal components may be provided in one or more of the utility network 140 and the home network 240.

The home network 240 includes a water generation component 241 for supplying water, a water distribution component 242 for distributing water, and a water storage component for storing water. 243), a water management component 244 for water management, a water metering component 245 for measuring information related to water, and a water consumption component for consuming water. 246, a central management component 247 that controls a number of components, a Water Grid Assistance Component 248, an accessory component 249, and a consumer handling component 250 ).

The water generation component 241 may be an underground water pump, the water storage component 243 may be a water tank, and the water management component 244 may be a water management apparatus. have.

The water metering component 245 may measure information related to water supply, distribution, consumption, storage, and the like, and may be, for example, a smart meter.

The water consumption unit 246 may be, for example, a household appliance (washing machine, dishwasher, humidifier, water purifier, refrigerator, air conditioner, cooking appliance, cleaner, etc.) or a kitchen sink, a bath tub, a wash basin, a toilet bowl of a bathroom, and the like. . Note that there is no restriction on the type of the water consumption unit 246 in this embodiment.

The water management unit 244 may be a separate component or included in another component as a water management function. The water manager 241 may communicate with one or more components to transmit and receive information.

The water supply unit 241, the water distribution unit 242, and the water storage unit 243 may be individual components or may constitute a single component.

The central management unit 247 may be, for example, a home server controlling a plurality of home appliances.

The mesh assisting part 248 is a component having an original function while performing an additional function for the water grid. For example, the water assisting unit 248 may be a web service provider (for example, a computer), a mobile device, a television, or the like.

The accessory component 249 is a water net only component that performs additional functions for the water net. For example, the accessory component 249 may be a weather receiving antenna dedicated to the water net.

The consumer handling component 250 is a component that stores, supplies, and delivers the consumer, and may identify or recognize information about the consumer. The consumer may be, for example, an article or material used or processed when the water consumption unit 246 is operated. In addition, the consumer processor 250 may be managed by the water manager 244 as an example in a water net.

For example, the consumer may be a laundry cloth in a washing machine, a food in a cooking appliance, a detergent or a fabric softener for washing a laundry cloth in a washing machine, a seasoning for cooking food, and the like.

Water supply unit 141, 241, water distribution unit 142, 242, water storage unit 143, 243, water management unit 144, 244, water measuring unit 145, 245, water consumption unit 246 mentioned above ), The central management unit 247, each independently exist or two or more may constitute a single component.

For example, the water management unit (144, 244), water measuring unit (145, 245), the central management unit 247 is present as a single component, each of which performs a smart meter, water management device, home server Or, the water management unit 144, 244, the water measuring unit 145, 245, the central management unit 247 may mechanically constitute a single component.

In addition, in performing one function, the function may be sequentially performed in a plurality of components and / or communication means. For example, the water management function may be performed sequentially in a separate water management unit, a water measuring unit, and a water consumption unit.

In addition, a plurality of components of a specific function constituting the utility network and the home network may be provided. For example, the water supply unit or water consumption unit may be a plurality.

On the other hand, the utility network 140 and the home network 240 may communicate by a communication means (first interface). In this case, the plurality of utility networks 140 may communicate with a single home network 240, and the single utility network 140 may communicate with a plurality of home networks 240.

For example, the communication means may be a simple communication line or a power line communication means. Of course, the power line communication means may include a communicator (eg, a modem) connected to each of the two components. As another example, the communication means may be zigbee, wi-fi, Bluetooth, or the like.

In the present specification, there is no limitation on the method for wired communication or the method for wireless communication.

Two components constituting the utility network 140 may communicate by a communication means.

In addition, the two components constituting the home network 240 may communicate by a communication means (second interface). For example, the water consumption unit 246 may communicate with one or more of the water management unit 244, the water measurement unit 245, the central management unit 247, the water network assisting unit 248, and the like (second interface). Can communicate by

In addition, the microcomputer of each component (for example, the water consumption unit) may communicate with the communication means (second interface) (third interface). For example, when the water consumption unit is a home appliance, the water consumption unit may receive information from the water management unit by a communication means (second interface), and the received information is a microcomputer of the home appliance by a third interface. Can be delivered.

In addition, the water consumption unit 246 may communicate with the accessory component 249 by a communication means (fourth interface). In addition, the water consumption unit 246 may communicate with the consumer processor 250 by a communication means (a fifth interface).

Figure 4 is a block diagram schematically showing a third embodiment of the gas as an energy source in the network system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the present embodiment uses gas as an energy source.

The network system of the present invention is constituted by a number of components. For example, gas collection, gas piping, gas management devices, appliances, smart meters, gas tanks, web servers, measuring devices, home servers, etc. are components of network systems.

In addition, in the present invention, each component may be constituted by a plurality of detailed components. For example, when one component is a home appliance, a detailed component may be a microcomputer, a burner, a display, etc. constituting the home appliance.

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

In addition, one network may be one component or may be composed of multiple components.

In the present specification, a network system in which communication information is related to gas may be referred to as a gas grid.

The network system according to an embodiment may be configured with a utility network (UAN) 160 and a home network (HAN) 260. The utility network 160 and the home network 260 may communicate by wire or wirelessly by communication means.

In this specification, a home means a group of specific components such as a building, a company, as well as a home in a dictionary meaning. And, utility means a group of specific components outside the home.

The utility network 160 includes a gas generation component 161 for supplying gas, a gas distribution component 162 for distributing or delivering gas, and a gas storage part for storing gas. a storage component 163, a gas management component 164 for managing gas, and a gas metering component 165 for measuring gas related information.

When one or more components constituting the utility network 160 consume gas, the component that consumes gas may be a gas consumer. That is, the gas consumption unit may be a separate configuration or included in other components.

The gas supply unit 161 may be, for example, gas collection, oil field, coalfield, and the like. The gas distribution unit 162 distributes or delivers the gas generated by the gas supply unit 161 and / or the gas stored in the gas storage unit 163 to the gas consumption unit. The gas distribution unit 162 may be a gas pipe or the like.

The gas storage unit 163 may be a gas tank, and the gas management unit 164 may include a gas supply unit 161, a gas distribution unit 162, a gas storage unit 163, and a gas consumption unit in relation to gas. Create information for one or more of the operations 266). For example, the gas manager 164 may generate a command regarding the operation of at least a specific component.

The gas manager 164 may be a gas manager. The gas measuring unit 165 may measure information related to supply, distribution, consumption, storage, etc. of gas, and may be, for example, a measuring device (AMI). The gas management unit 164 may be a separate configuration or may be included as a gas management function in other components.

The utility network 160 may communicate with the home network 260 by a terminal component (not shown). The terminal component may be, for example, a gateway. Such terminal components may be provided in one or more of the utility network 160 and the home network 260.

The home network 260 includes a gas generation component 261 for supplying gas, a gas distribution component 262 for distributing gas, and a gas storage part for storing gas. component 263, a gas management component 264 for managing gas, a gas metering component 265 for measuring information related to gas, and a gas consumption part for consuming gas component 266, a central management component 267 for controlling a plurality of components, a gas grid assist component 268, an accessory component 269, and a consumer handling component 270).

The gas generation component 261 may be a domestic gas manufacturing apparatus, the gas storage component 263 may be a gas tank, and the gas management component 264 may be a gas management apparatus. Can be.

The gas metering component 265 may measure information related to gas supply, distribution, consumption, storage, and the like, and may be, for example, a smart meter.

The gas consumption unit 266 may be, for example, a home appliance (boiler, cooking appliance, etc.) or a burner constituting the home appliance. Note that there is no restriction on the type of the gas consumption unit 266 in this embodiment.

The gas manager 264 may be a separate component or may be included as a gas management function in another component. The gas manager 261 may communicate with one or more components to transmit and receive information.

The gas supply part 261, the gas distribution part 262, and the gas storage part 263 may be individual components or may constitute a single component.

The central management unit 267 may be, for example, a home server that controls a plurality of home appliances.

The gas network auxiliary unit 268 is a component having an original function while performing an additional function for the gas grid. For example, the gas network assistant 268 may be a web service provider (eg, a computer), a mobile device, a television, or the like.

The accessory component 269 is a gas network dedicated component that performs additional functions for the gas network. For example, the accessory component 269 may be a gas network dedicated weather reception antenna.

The consumer handling component 270 is a component that stores, supplies, and delivers the consumer, and may identify or recognize information about the consumer. The consumer may be, for example, an article or material that is used or processed during operation of the gas consumption unit 266. In addition, the consumer processor 270 may be managed by the gas manager 264 in, for example, a gas network.

For example, the consumer may be food or the like in a cooking apparatus.

Gas supply unit 161, 261, gas distribution unit 162, 262, gas storage unit 163, 263, gas management unit 164, 264, gas measuring unit 165, 265, gas consumption unit ( 266), the central management unit 267, each independently exist or two or more may constitute a single component.

For example, the gas management unit 164, 264, the gas measuring unit 165, 265, the central management unit 267 are each present as a single component, smart meter, gas management device, home server performing each function Alternatively, the gas managers 164 and 264, the gas measuring units 165 and 265, and the central manager 267 may mechanically constitute a single component.

In addition, in performing one function, the function may be sequentially performed in a plurality of components and / or communication means. For example, a gas management function may be sequentially performed in a separate gas management unit, a gas measuring unit, and a gas consumption unit.

In addition, a plurality of components of a specific function constituting the utility network and the home network may be provided. For example, there may be a plurality of gas supply units or gas consumption units.

On the other hand, the utility network 160 and the home network 260 may communicate by a communication means (first interface). At this time, the plurality of utility networks 160 may communicate with a single home network 260, and the single utility network 160 may communicate with a plurality of home networks 260.

For example, the communication means may be a simple communication line or a power line communication means. Of course, the power line communication means may include a communicator (eg, a modem) connected to each of the two components. As another example, the communication means may be zigbee, wi-fi, Bluetooth, or the like.

In the present specification, there is no limitation on the method for wired communication or the method for wireless communication.

Two components constituting the utility network 160 may communicate by a communication means.

In addition, the two components constituting the home network 260 may communicate by a communication means (second interface). For example, the gas consumption unit 266 may communicate with one or more of the gas management unit 264, the gas measuring unit 265, the central management unit 267, the gas network auxiliary unit 268, and the like (second interface). Can communicate by

In addition, the microcomputer of each component (for example, the gas consumption unit) may communicate with the communication means (second interface) (third interface). For example, when the gas consumption unit is a home appliance, the gas consumer may receive information from the gas management unit by a communication means (second interface), and the received information may be a microcomputer of the home appliance by a third interface. Can be delivered.

In addition, the gas consumption unit 266 may communicate with the accessory component 269 by a communication means (fourth interface). In addition, the gas consumption unit 266 may communicate with the consumer processor 270 by a communication means (a fifth interface).

5 is a block diagram schematically showing a fourth embodiment using gas, water and electricity as energy sources in a network system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the present embodiment uses gas, water, and electricity as energy sources.

The network system of the present invention is constituted by a number of components. For example, power plants, gas collection stations, intake stations, substations, power stations, gas pipelines, water pipes, energy management devices, appliances, smart meters, capacitors, web servers, measuring devices, and home servers are the components of network systems.

In addition, in the present invention, each component may be constituted by a plurality of detailed components. For example, when one component is a home appliance, a detailed component may be a microcomputer, a heater, a display, a motor, a burner, a valve, etc. constituting the home appliance.

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

In addition, one network may be one component or may be composed of multiple components.

In the present specification, a network system in which communication information relates to an energy source such as gas, water, electricity, and the like may be referred to as an energy grid.

The network system of an embodiment may be configured of a utility network (UAN) 180 and a home network (HAN) 280. The utility network 180 and the home network 280 may communicate by wire or wirelessly by communication means.

In this specification, a home means a group of specific components such as a building, a company, as well as a home in a dictionary meaning. And, utility means a group of specific components outside the home.

The utility network 180 may include an energy generation component 181 for supplying or generating one or more of gas, water, and electricity, and an energy distribution unit for distributing or delivering one or more of gas, water, and electricity. Energy distribution component (182), an energy storage component (183) for storing one or more of gas, water and electricity, and an energy management component (184) for managing one or more of gas, water and electricity. And an energy metering component 185 for measuring related information of at least one of gas, water and electricity.

When one or more components constituting the utility network 180 consume one or more of gas, water, and electricity, the component that consumes one or more of gas, water, and electricity may be an energy consumer. In addition, the energy consumption unit may be a separate configuration or may be included in other components.

The energy generating unit 181 may be, for example, a power plant, a water intake station, a gas collection station. The energy distribution unit 182 distributes one or more of gas, water, and electricity generated by the energy generator 181 and / or one or more of gas, water, and electricity stored in the energy storage unit 183 to the energy consumption unit. Or pass. The energy distribution unit 182 may be a power transmitter, a substation, a power station, a water pipe, a gas pipe, or the like.

The energy storage unit 183 may be a storage battery, a water tank, a gas tank, and the energy management unit 184 is associated with at least one of gas, water, and electricity, and an energy generator 181 and an energy distribution unit 182. ) Generates information for driving at least one of the energy storage unit 183 and the energy consumption unit 286. For example, the energy management unit 184 may generate a command regarding the operation of at least a specific component.

The energy management unit 184 may be an energy management device. The energy measuring unit 185 may measure information related to generation, distribution, consumption, storage, etc. of one or more of gas, water, and electricity. For example, the energy measuring unit 185 may be a measuring device (AMI). The energy management unit 184 may be a separate configuration or may be included as an energy management function in other components.

Here, the energy generator 181, the energy distribution unit 182, the energy storage unit 183, the energy management unit 184, the energy measuring unit 185 of the utility network 180, the gas, water and electricity A plurality may be simultaneously generated, distributed, delivered, stored, managed, measured and consumed.

The utility network 180 may communicate with the home network 280 by a terminal component (not shown). The terminal component may be, for example, a gateway. Such terminal components may be provided in one or more of the utility network 180 and the home network 280.

The home network 280 may include an energy generation component 281 that supplies or generates one or more of gas, water, and electricity, and an energy distribution unit that distributes one or more of gas, water, and electricity. distribution component 282, an energy storage component 283 for storing one or more of gas, water and electricity, and an energy management component for managing one or more of gas, water and electricity. And an energy metering component 285 for measuring information relating to at least one of gas, water and electricity, an energy consumption component 286 for consuming energy, and a plurality of components. Central management component 287, Energy Grid Assistance Component 28, Accessory component 289, and Consumable handling component 290 are included. .

The energy generation component 281 may be a household generator, a domestic groundwater pump, a domestic gas manufacturing device, and the energy storage component 283 may be a storage battery, a water tank, a gas tank, The energy management component 284 may be an energy management device.

The energy metering component 285 may measure information related to generation, distribution, consumption, storage, and the like of one or more of gas, water, and electricity. For example, the energy metering component 285 may be a smart meter.

The energy consumption unit 286 may be, for example, a home appliance (a refrigerator, a washing machine, an air conditioner, a cooking appliance, a cleaner, a dryer, a dishwasher, a dehumidifier, a water purifier, a boiler, a display device, a lighting device, etc.) or a heater constituting the home appliance, Motor, display, valve, burner, and the like. Note that there is no limitation in the type of energy consumption unit 286 in this embodiment.

The energy management unit 284 may be an individual component or may be included as an energy management function in another component. The energy management unit 281 may communicate with one or more components to transmit and receive information.

The energy generator 281, the energy distributor 282, and the energy storage 283 may be individual components or may constitute a single component.

In addition, the energy generation unit 181, the energy distribution unit 182, the energy storage unit 183, the energy management unit 184, the energy measuring unit 185 of the home network 280, gas, water and electricity Multiple may be simultaneously generated, distributed, delivered, stored, managed, measured and consumed.

The central management unit 287 may be, for example, a home server controlling a plurality of home appliances.

The energy network auxiliary unit 288 is a component having an original function while performing an additional function for the energy grid. For example, the energy network assistant 288 may be a web service provider (eg, a computer), a mobile device, a television, or the like.

The accessory component 289 is an energy network only component that performs additional functions for the energy network. For example, the accessory component 289 may be an energy network dedicated weather reception antenna.

The consumer handling component 290 is a component that stores, supplies, and delivers the consumer, and may identify or recognize information about the consumer. The consumer may be, for example, an article or material that is used or processed during operation of the energy consumption unit 286. In addition, the consumer processor 290 may be managed by the energy manager 284 as an example in an energy network.

For example, the consumer may be a laundry cloth in a washing machine, a food in a cooking appliance, a detergent or a fabric softener for washing a laundry cloth in a washing machine, a seasoning for cooking food, and the like.

Energy generation unit 181, 281, energy distribution unit 182, 282, energy storage unit 183, 283, energy management unit 184, 284, energy measurement unit 185, 285, energy consumption unit mentioned above 286, the central management unit 287 may exist independently of each other, or two or more may constitute a single component.

For example, the energy management unit 184, 284, the energy measuring unit 185, 285, the central management unit 287 are each present as a single component, smart meter, energy management device, home server performing each function Alternatively, the energy management units 184 and 284, the energy measuring units 185 and 285, and the central management unit 287 may mechanically constitute a single component.

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

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

On the other hand, the utility network 180 and the home network 280 may communicate by a communication means (first interface). In this case, the plurality of utility networks 180 may communicate with a single home network 280, and the single utility network 180 may communicate with a plurality of home networks 280.

For example, the communication means may be a simple communication line or a power line communication means. Of course, the power line communication means may include a communicator (eg, a modem) connected to each of the two components. As another example, the communication means may be zigbee, wi-fi, Bluetooth, or the like.

In the present specification, there is no limitation on the method for wired communication or the method for wireless communication.

Two components of the utility network 180 may communicate by a communication means.

In addition, the two components constituting the home network 280 may communicate by a communication means (second interface). For example, the energy consumption unit 286 may communicate with one or more of the energy management unit 284, the energy measurement unit 285, the central management unit 287, the energy network auxiliary unit 288, and the like (second interface). Can communicate by

In addition, the microcomputer of each component (for example, the energy consumption unit) may communicate with the communication means (second interface) (third interface). For example, when the energy consumption is a household appliance, the energy consumption unit may receive information from the energy management unit by a communication means (second interface), and the received information is a microcomputer of the household appliance by a third interface. Can be delivered.

In addition, the energy consumption unit 286 may communicate with the accessory component 289 by a communication means (fourth interface). In addition, the energy consumption unit 286 may communicate with the consumer processor 290 by a communication means (a fifth interface).

6 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an integrated control form in a fourth embodiment of a network system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, in this embodiment, integrated control of components related to a plurality of energy sources is performed.

The energy generating units 181 and 281 may be referred to as an electricity generating unit 611 when generating electricity, a gas supply unit 621 when supplying gas, and a water supply unit 631 when supplying water. It can be called. That is, when one energy generator 181, 281 generates and supplies electricity and gas at the same time, it may be referred to as the electricity generator 611 and the gas supplier 621. In addition, when the plurality of energy generators 181 and 281 respectively generate electricity and supply gas, the plurality of energy generators 181 and 281 may be referred to as an electricity generator 611 and a gas supply unit 621, respectively. .

That is, the electricity generation unit 611, the gas supply unit 621, and the water supply unit 631 may be a plurality of components that perform electricity generation, gas supply, and water supply, respectively. It can also be a single component running concurrently.

Similarly, the energy distribution unit 182 and 282, the energy storage unit 183 and 283, the energy management unit 184 and 284, the energy measuring unit 185 and 285, and the energy consumption unit 186 and 286 are also related to only one of gas, water and electricity, respectively. It may be provided as a plurality of components, or may be provided as a single component associated with two or more of gas, water and electricity at the same time.

In the present embodiment, the electric generator 611, the gas supply unit 621, the water supply unit 631, the electric consumer 612, the gas consumer 622, the water consumer 632 is an integrated management device ( 600) can be managed collectively. The integrated management device 600 may be any one of an energy management device, an energy management unit 184, 284, a central management unit 287, an energy network auxiliary unit 288, the energy management device, an energy management unit 184, 284, It may be a single component including two or more of the central management unit 287, the energy network assistant 288. In addition, the integrated management device 600, one or more of the energy management device, the energy management unit 184, 284, the central management unit 287, the energy network auxiliary unit 288 organically interact with each other to perform integrated management It may be a system of.

When the integrated management device 600, at least one of the information on the plurality of energy sources consumed by the single energy consumption unit 286 is out of the reference information value interval, the single energy consumption unit 286 The consumption state can be controlled to change.

For example, it may be assumed that a cooking appliance that consumes electricity and gas is integratedly managed by the integrated management apparatus 600.

The integrated management device 600 may hold information about an hourly electricity rate, a gas rate, and a water rate, and calculate an electricity rate, a gas rate, and a water rate corresponding to a time period in which the cooking appliance operates. If the cooker operates or is scheduled to operate, if the electricity rate exceeds the standard electricity rate and the gas rate falls below the standard gas rate, the cooker increases the fire power of the gas burner and reduces the output of the electric heater. Can be controlled. In other words, if the electricity bill corresponds to a relatively expensive time zone, but the gas bill corresponds to a relatively cheap time zone, it is controlled to lower the electricity usage and increase the gas usage.

Therefore, the charges due to electricity and gas consumption of the cooking appliance, that is, the energy consumption unit 286 may be minimized as a whole.

In addition, when the information on the energy source consumed by at least one energy consumption unit 286 of the plurality of energy consumption unit 286 by the integrated management device 600 is out of the reference information value interval, The consumption state of the energy consumption unit 286 may be controlled to be changed.

For example, assume that a cooking appliance that consumes electricity and gas, a washing machine that consumes electricity and water, and a boiler that consumes electricity, gas and water are collectively managed by the integrated management device 600. Can be.

While the integrated management device 600 holds information on the hourly electricity rate, gas rate, and water rate, the electric charge, gas rate, and water rate corresponding to the operating time of the cooking appliance, washing machine, and boiler can be calculated. have. If the cooker, washing machine and boiler are operating or scheduled to operate at the same time, if the gas rate exceeds the standard gas rate and the electricity rate falls below the standard electricity rate, the cooker and boiler will reduce the fire power of the gas burner and reduce the electricity. It is controlled to increase the output of the heater, the washing machine can be controlled to operate or pause in the power saving mode. In other words, if the gas bill corresponds to a relatively expensive time period, but the electric bill corresponds to a relatively cheap time, it is controlled to reduce the gas usage and increase the electricity usage.

Therefore, the total amount of relatively inexpensive gas may be reduced because the total amount of relatively expensive gas is reduced, and the amount of electricity of the washing machine is reduced as the amount of electricity of the cooking appliance and the boiler is low. Therefore, charges for gas, electricity and water consumed by the operation of the cooking appliance, washing machine and boiler can be minimized as a whole.

7 is a block diagram showing an information transfer process in a network system of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating a form of an electric charge. FIG. 8A is a graph showing time of use (TOU) information and critical electricity pattern (CPP) information, and FIG. 8B is an RTP ( This graph shows real time pattern information.

Referring to FIG. 7, in the network system of the present invention, the specific component C may receive information related to electricity (hereinafter, “electrical information”) by the communication means. In addition, the specific component (C) is additional information (environmental information, program update information, time information, operation or status information of each component (failure, etc.), in addition to the electrical information by the communication means, consumer habit information using the electric consumer, etc. ) Can be received further.

The environmental information may include carbon dioxide emissions, carbon dioxide concentration in the air, temperature, humidity, rainfall, rainfall or the like, solar radiation, air volume, and the like.

In another aspect, the information is internal information, such as information related to each component (operation or status information of each component (such as failure), electrical usage information of the electrical consumer, consumer habit information using the electrical consumer, etc.), and other information. It may be divided into external information (electrical information, environmental information, program update information, time information).

At this time, the information may be received from other components. In other words, the received information includes at least electrical information.

The specific component may be one component constituting the utility network 10 or one component constituting the home network 20.

As described above, the electrical information I may be one of information such as electricity, water, and gas.

For example, the types of information related to electricity include time-based pricing, curtailment, grid emergency, grid reliability, energy generation amount, and operational priority. (operation priority), energy consumption amount (Amount). In the present embodiment, a charge related to electricity may be referred to as an electric charge.

That is, information related to electricity may be classified into charge information (electric charge) and non-charge information (electric reduction, emergency situation, network safety, power generation amount, operation priority, electricity consumption amount, etc.).

Such information may be classified into schedule information previously generated based on previous information and real time information that changes in real time. The schedule information and the real time information may be distinguished by predicting information after the current time (future).

The electrical information I may be classified as time of use (TOU) information, critical electrical pattern (CPP) information, or real time pattern (RTP) information according to a change pattern of data over time. The electrical information I may change with time.

Referring to FIG. 8A, according to the TOU information, data is gradually changed in time. According to the CPP information, the data changes step by step or in real time with time, and emphasis is displayed at a specific time point. That is, in the case of the CPP pattern, the general fee is lower than that of the TOU pattern, but the charge at a specific time point is significantly higher than that in the TOU pattern.

Referring to FIG. 8B, according to the RTP information, data changes in real time with time.

On the other hand, the electrical information (I) can be transmitted and received in a true or false signal, such as a Boolean (Boolean) on the network system, the actual price information can be transmitted and received, or a plurality of levels can be transmitted and received. Hereinafter, information related to electricity will be described by way of example.

When the specific component (C) receives a true or false signal, such as a Boolean, any one signal is recognized as an on-peak signal (information related to the reduction of electricity consumption or electricity bill). The other signal may be recognized as an off-peak signal.

In contrast, a particular component may recognize information about at least one driving including an electric charge, and the specific component compares the recognized information value with the reference information value to compare the on-peak and off-peak ( off-peak).

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

In this case, the information value related to the driving may be at least one of an electric charge, a power amount, a change rate of the electric charge, a change rate of the power amount, an average value of the electric charge, and an average value of the electric power. The reference information value may be at least one of an average value, an average value of minimum and maximum values of power information during a predetermined section, and a reference rate of change of power information (eg, slope of power consumption per unit time) during the predetermined section.

The reference information value may be set in real time or may be set in advance. The reference information value may be set in a utility network or in a home network (input from a consumer direct input, an electrical manager, a central manager, etc.).

When the specific component (for example, the electricity consumption unit) recognizes an on-peak (for example, a recognition time point), the output may be zero (stopped or stopped) or the output may be reduced. 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 starting the operation.

And, if a particular component recognizes an off peak, the output can be restored or increased as needed. That is, when a specific component that recognizes an on peak recognizes an off peak, the output may be restored to a previous state or increased more than the previous output.

At this time, even when the specific component recovers the output or increases the output after recognizing the off-peak, the total power consumption and / or the total electricity bill for the entire operating time of the specific component is reduced.

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

The schedule standard may be set in real time or may be set in advance. The schedule criterion may be set in the utility network or in a home network (input from a consumer direct input, an electrical manager, a central manager, etc.).

Alternatively, when the specific component recognizes an on-peak (eg, a recognition time), the output may be increased. However, even when the output is increased when the on-peak is recognized, the total output amount during the entire driving period of the specific component may be reduced or maintained than the total output amount when the specific component operates at the normal output.

Or, even if the output is increased when the on-peak is recognized, the total power consumption or total electric charge for the entire operating period of a particular component is the total power consumption or total power when the specific component operates at normal output. It can be lower than the electricity bill.

When the specific component recognizes an off-peak (for example, a recognition time), the output may be increased. For example, when an operation reservation is set, a specific component may start driving before a set time, or a component having a larger output among a plurality of components may be driven first.

In addition, in the case of a refrigerator, the output may be supercooled by increasing the output, or in the case of a washing machine or a washing machine, the hot water may be stored in the hot water tank by driving the heater in advance of the scheduled operation time of the heater. This is to reduce the electricity bill by operating in the off-peak in advance to operate in the on-peak to come later.

Alternatively, when a specific component recognizes an off-peak (eg, a recognition time), power storage may be performed.

In the present invention, the specific component (for example, an electric consumer) may maintain, reduce or increase the output. Thus, a particular component can include a power changing component. Since the power can be defined by current and voltage, the power variable component can include a current regulator and / or a voltage regulator. For example, the power variable component may be operated according to a command generated from an electrical management unit.

Meanwhile, the electrical curtailment information is information related to a mode in which a component is stopped or a low electric bill is used. In other words, the electric reduction information is information related to the reduction of the electricity consumption or the electric charge.

The electrical reduction information may be transmitted / received as a true or false signal, for example, as a Boolean on a network system. That is, a turn off signal or a lower power signal may be transmitted and received.

When the specific component recognizes the electric reduction information, as described above, the output can be zeroed (if the stop or stop state is recognized) or the output can be reduced (if the lower power signal is recognized). have.

The grid emergency information is information related to a power failure and the like, and may be transmitted / received as a true or false signal such as Boolean. The information related to the power outage is related to the reliability of the component using electricity.

When the specific component recognizes the emergency information, it may be immediately shut down.

When the specific component receives the emergency information as the schedule information, the specific component may increase the output before the arrival of the emergency time point to perform the same operation as the off-peak operation of the specific component described above. . In addition, the specific component may be shut down at an emergency time.

The grid reliability information is information about the high and low supply electricity or information on the quality of electricity, and is transmitted / received by a true or false signal, such as a Boolean, or supplied to a component (for example, a home appliance). The component may determine the frequency of the AC power.

That is, when an under frequency is detected (recognized) below the reference frequency of the AC power supplied to the component, the amount of supply electricity is determined to be low, and when the frequency higher than the reference frequency of the AC power is detected (recognized), the supply electricity is This can be judged by many. That is, the frequency lower than the reference frequency (underfrequency) corresponds to the information related to the reduction of electricity consumption or electricity bill.

When the specific component recognizes that the amount of electricity in the network safety information is low or the information that the electrical quality is not good, as mentioned above, the specific component to output 0 (stop or stop) in some cases, You can reduce the output, maintain the output, or increase the output.

The excessive amount of generated electricity information is information on a state in which excess electricity is generated due to less electricity consumption of a component that consumes electricity compared to the generated amount, and may be transmitted / received as a true or false signal, for example, a Boolean.

When the specific component recognizes excessive power generation information (for example, when grid overfrequency is recognized or when over energy signal is recognized), the output may be increased. For example, when an operation reservation is set, a specific component may start driving before a set time, or a component having a larger output among a plurality of components may be driven first. In addition, in the case of the refrigerator to increase the output than the existing output supercooled, or in the case of a washing machine or a washing machine, the hot water can be stored by driving the heater in advance than the scheduled time of operation of the heater.

On the other hand, each kind of information related to the electricity, specifically, the unprocessed first information (I1), the second information (second information: I2) that is processed information from the first information, and the specific The information may be divided into third information I3 which is information for performing a function of a 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.

In addition, information related to electricity is included in the signal and transmitted. In this case, one or more of the first to third information may be transmitted only a plurality of times without converting only the signal.

For example, as shown in the figure, any component that receives a signal including the first information I1 may only convert a signal and transmit a new signal including the first information I1 to another component.

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

However, the third information may be delivered a plurality of times in the state where the contents are converted or in a state where only the signal is converted while maintaining the same contents.

In detail, when the first information is raw electricity price information, the second information may be processed electricity price information. The processed electric charge information is information or analysis information in which electric charges are divided into multiple levels. The third information is a command generated based on the first information or the second information.

The particular component may generate, transmit or receive one or more of the first to third information. The first to third information are not necessarily sequentially transmitted and received.

For example, only a plurality of third information may be transmitted or received sequentially or in parallel without the 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.

For example, when a specific component receives the first information, the specific component may transmit the second information, the second information and the third information, or may transmit only the third information.

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

Meanwhile, in the relationship between the two informations, one information is a message and the other information is a response to the message. Accordingly, each component constituting the present network system may transmit or receive a message, and when the message is received, may correspond to the received message. Thus, the transmission of messages and their corresponding responses is a relative concept for individual components.

The message may include data (first information or second information) and / or command (third information).

The command (third information) includes a data storage command, a data generating command, a data processing command (including generating additional data), a generating command of an additional command, a sending command of an additional generated command, and a received command. Commands and the like.

In the present specification, corresponding to a received message means storing data, processing data (including generating additional data), generating a new command, sending a newly generated command, and simply passing the received command to another component. Command can be generated together), operation, transmission of stored information, transmission of acknowledgment character or negative acknowledgment character.

For example, when the message is the first information, the component that has received the first information corresponds to this to generate the second information by processing the first information, generate the second information, and generate new third information, Only third information can be generated.

Specifically, when the electrical management unit 24 receives the first information (internal information and / or external information), the electrical management unit 24 generates the second information and / or third information, to establish the home network It may be transmitted to one or more components (for example, an electrical consumer) that constitutes. In addition, the electricity consumption unit 26 may operate according to the third information received from the electricity management unit 24.

9 is a block diagram schematically showing a first communication mode of a network system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, the first component 31 of the home network 20 may communicate directly with the utility network 10. The first component 31 can communicate with a plurality of components 32, 33, 34: second to fourth components of the home network. At this time, it is noted that there is no limit to the number of components of the home network to communicate with the first component 31.

That is, in the present embodiment, the first component 31 serves as a gateway. For example, the first component 31 may be one of an electric management unit, an electric measuring unit, a central management unit, an electric network assisting unit, and an electric consuming unit.

In the present invention, the component acting as a gateway not only enables communication between components that communicate using different communication protocols, but also enables communication between components that communicate using the same communication protocol.

The second to fourth components 32, 33, and 34 may each be one of an electricity generating unit, an electrical distribution unit, an electrical management unit, an electrical storage unit, an electrical measuring unit, a central management unit, an electric network assisting unit, and an electricity consuming unit. have.

The first component 31 may receive information from the utility network 10 or one or more components constituting the utility network 10, and transmit or process the received information to process the second to fourth components. Can be sent to (32, 34). For example, when the first component 31 is an electric measuring unit, the first component may receive the electric charge information and transmit the electric charge information to an electric management unit, an electric consumer, or the like.

Each of the second to fourth components may communicate with another component. For example, the first component 31 is an electrical measurement unit, the second component is an electrical management unit, and the electrical management unit can communicate with one or more electrical consumption units.

10 is a block diagram schematically showing a second communication mode of the network system according to the present invention.

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

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

And, the first component 41 can communicate with one or more components (eg, third and fourth components 43, 44), and the second component 42 can be one or more components (eg, a fifth And sixth component 45, 46.

For example, each of the first and second components may be one of an electrical management unit, an electrical measurement unit, a central management unit, an electric network assisting unit, and an electricity consuming unit.

Each of the third to sixth components may be one of an electricity generating unit, an electrical distribution unit, an electrical management unit, an electrical measuring unit, a central management unit, an electric network assisting unit, and an electricity consuming unit.

11 is a block diagram schematically showing a third communication mode of the network system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 11, each of the components 51, 52, and 53 constituting the home network of the present embodiment may directly communicate with the utility network 20. That is, as in the first and second embodiments, there is no component serving as a gateway, and each of the components 51, 52, and 53 may communicate with the utility network.

120: utility network 220: home network

Claims (16)

A utility network comprising an energy supply for supplying an energy source; And
A home network including an energy consumption unit consuming an energy source supplied from the energy supply unit, the home network being communicatively connected to the utility network;
The communication information between the utility network and the home network includes additional information other than information about at least one of gas, water and electricity, and information about the gas, water and electricity. The method of claim 1 wherein.
The information on at least one of the gas, water, and electricity includes gas rate information, water rate information, electricity rate information, and gas rate, water rate, and electricity rate information. The method of claim 2,
The gas rate, water rate, electricity rate, and other information may be one of gas reduction, water reduction, electricity reduction, emergency, network safety, gas supply, water intake, power generation, operation priority, gas consumption, water consumption, and electricity consumption. Network system. The method of claim 1,
The additional information is one of environmental information, program update information, time information, operation or status information of each component, and consumer habit information using an energy consumption unit. The method of claim 1,
The energy source comprises at least one of gas, water and electricity. The method of claim 1,
And an energy measuring unit for measuring information about the energy source including the flow rate of the energy source. A utility network including an energy supply unit to which an energy source is supplied; And
A home network including an energy consumption unit consuming an energy source supplied from the energy supply unit, the home network being communicatively connected to the utility network;
The communication information between the utility network and the home network includes a plurality of additional information other than information on a plurality of energy sources or energy source information. The method of claim 7, wherein.
The information about the energy source, the network system including the energy source fee information and energy source fee information. The method of claim 8,
The information other than the energy source fee is one of energy saving, emergency, network safety, power generation, operation priority, and energy consumption. The method of claim 7, wherein
The additional information is one of environmental information, program update information, time information, operation or status information of each component, and consumer habit information using an energy consumption unit. The method of claim 7, wherein
The plurality of energy sources includes at least one of gas, water and electricity. The method of claim 7, wherein
And a plurality of energy consumption units that collectively manage the plurality of energy sources. The method of claim 7, wherein
The home network,
A plurality of energy consumption units; And
And at least one energy management unit for integrated management of the plurality of energy consumption units.
And a consumption state of the plurality of energy consumption units is changed when information on an energy source consumed by at least one of the plurality of energy consumption units is out of a reference information value section. The method of claim 7, wherein
And the energy consumption unit consumes the plurality of energy sources. The method of claim 14,
And at least one of the information on the plurality of energy sources is out of a reference information value section, the consumption state of the energy consuming unit is changed. The method of claim 15,
And at least one of the information on the plurality of energy sources is out of a reference information value section, the consumption amount of the energy consuming unit increases or decreases.

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