KR20120000027A - Network system and method of controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A network system and a control method thereof are provided to reduce the amount of consuming power during on-peak. CONSTITUTION: An energy generating unit(21) generates energy. An energy consuming unit(26) performs an operation for achieving a target value or a target state by consuming the energy generated from the energy generating unit. The target value or the target state is changed according to the information about the energy. The target value or the target state is varied to reduce energy consumption of the energy consuming unit and costs due to the energy consumption.

Description

Network system and method of controlling the same

The present invention relates to a network system and a control method thereof.

Home appliances are products that perform various functions for the user's convenience by using energy such as electricity, water, and gas. Such home appliances include, for example, a washing machine / dehydrator / dryer for washing / dehydrating / drying a laundry cloth, a refrigerator for freezing / refrigerating for fresh storage of food, and cooling / heating indoor air. Air conditioners, and air conditioners that provide purified cold / hot water.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a network system and a method of controlling the same, which can reduce the cost of operation.

In one aspect, a network system includes an energy generator configured to generate energy; And

An energy consuming unit for consuming energy generated by the energy generating unit to perform an operation for achieving a target value or a target state; Includes, and the target value or target state is changed according to the information about the energy.

According to another aspect, a network system includes a utility network including an energy generator for generating energy; And an energy consumption unit configured to consume energy generated by the energy generator to perform an operation for achieving a predetermined target value or target state. And a target value or a target state is changed according to the information about the energy in the energy measuring unit in order to reduce the cost according to the energy consumed in the energy consuming unit or the energy consumption in the energy consuming unit. .

In one aspect, a method for controlling a network system includes: generating, by an energy generator, energy; And an energy consuming unit, consuming an energy generated by the energy generating unit to perform an operation for achieving a target value or target state. And a target value or a target state is changed according to the information about the energy in order to reduce the cost according to the energy consumed in the energy consuming unit or the consumption of energy in the energy consuming unit.

In the network system and the control method thereof according to the present invention, the power consumption in the on-peak is reduced by reducing the target value of the operation of the home appliance compared to the off-peak in the on-peak which is relatively expensive. Therefore, by minimizing the operation of the home appliances in the on-peak, it can be expected to effect the use of home appliances more economically.

1 is a schematic view of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a schematic block diagram of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a block diagram showing an information transfer process on a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a graph for explaining the form of the electricity bill.
5 is a block diagram showing an example of a home network applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a block diagram showing another example of a home network applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
7 is a block diagram showing another example of a home network applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
8 is a perspective view showing an example of a washing machine applicable to the network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a washing machine applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a control flowchart showing an example of a control method of a washing machine applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a control flowchart showing another example of a control method of a washing machine applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a control flow diagram showing still another example of a control method of a washing machine applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
13 is a perspective view showing an example of a refrigerator applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a refrigerator applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
15 is a control flowchart showing an example of a control method of a refrigerator applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
16 is a perspective view showing an example of an air conditioner applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
17 is a configuration diagram showing an example of an air conditioner applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
18 is a control flowchart showing an example of a control method of an air conditioner applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of 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 network system according to an embodiment of 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. Hereinafter, as an energy source, electricity will be described as an example, and the contents of the present specification may be equally applied to other energy sources.

Referring to FIG. 1, the network system of this embodiment includes a power plant that produces electricity. The power plant may include a power plant that generates electricity through thermal power generation or nuclear power generation, and a power plant 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), You can also sell the surplus electricity to the outside (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. The energy management device can generate instructions relating to the operation of at least the component.

In the present specification, the function or solution performed by the energy management device 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 schematic block diagram of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

1 and 2, the network system of the present invention is constituted by a plurality 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 associated with an energy source may be referred to as an energy grid.

The network system of one embodiment may be configured of a utility network (UAN) 10 and a home network (HAN) 20. The utility network 10 and the home network 20 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 10 includes an energy generation component 11 for generating energy, an energy distribution component 12 for distributing or delivering energy, and an energy storage unit for storing energy ( An energy storage component 13), an energy management component 14 for managing energy, and an energy metering component 15 for measuring energy related information.

When one or more components constituting the utility network 10 consume energy, the component that consumes energy may be an energy consumer. That is, the energy consumption unit may be a separate configuration or may be included in other components.

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

The energy storage unit 13 may be a storage battery, and the energy management unit 14 may be associated with energy, including an energy generator 11, an energy distributor 12, an energy storage unit 13, and an energy consumption unit ( 26) generates information for one or more of driving. For example, the energy manager 14 may generate a command regarding at least a specific component to operate.

The energy management unit 14 may be an energy management device. The energy measuring unit 15 may measure information related to energy generation, distribution, consumption, storage, and the like, and may be, for example, a measuring device (AMI). The energy management unit 14 may be a separate configuration or may be included as an energy management function in other components.

The utility network 10 may communicate with the home network 20 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 10 and the home network 20.

Meanwhile, the home network 20 includes an energy generation component 21 for generating energy, an energy distribution component 22 for distributing energy, and an energy storage unit for storing energy. storage component 23, an energy management component 24 for managing energy, an energy metering component 25 for measuring information related to energy, and an energy consuming portion for consuming energy consumption component 26, a central management component 27 for controlling a plurality of components, an energy grid assistance component 28, an accessory component 29, and a consumer processing component component: 30).

The energy generation component 21 may be a household generator, the energy storage component 23 may be a storage battery, and the energy management component 24 may be an energy management device. have.

The energy metering component 25 may measure information related to energy generation, distribution, consumption, storage, and the like, and may be, for example, a smart meter.

The energy consumption unit 26 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 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 limit to the type of energy consumption unit 26 in this embodiment.

The energy manager 24 may be an individual component or may be included as an energy management function in another component. The energy manager 21 may communicate with one or more components to transmit and receive information.

The energy generator 21, the energy distributor 22, and the energy storage unit 23 may be individual components or may constitute a single component.

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

The energy network assistant 28 is a component having an original function while performing an additional function for the energy grid. For example, the energy network assistant 28 may be a web service provider (eg, a computer), a mobile device, a television, or the like.

The accessory component 29 is an energy network only component that performs additional functions for the energy network. For example, the accessory component 29 may be a weather network antenna dedicated to the energy network.

The consumer handling component 30 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 in the operation of the energy consumer 26. In addition, the consumer processor 30 may be managed by the energy manager 24 in the 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 generator 11 (21), energy distributor 12 (22), energy storage (13) 23, energy manager (14) 24, energy measuring unit (15) (25) mentioned above ), The energy consumption unit 26, the central management unit 27, each independently exist or two or more may constitute a single component.

For example, the energy management unit 14 (24), the energy measuring unit 15 (25), the central management unit 27 is present as a single component, each of the smart meter, energy management device, It may be configured as a home server, or the energy management unit 14 (24), the energy measuring unit 15 (25), the central management unit 27 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, an energy management function may be sequentially performed in a separate energy management unit, an energy measuring unit, and an energy consuming 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 10 and the home network 20 can communicate by a communication means (first interface). At this time, the plurality of utility networks 10 may communicate with a single home network 20, and the single utility network 10 may communicate with a plurality of home networks 20.

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, etc.) 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 10 may communicate by means of communication means.

In addition, the two components constituting the home network 20 may communicate by a communication means (second interface). For example, the energy consumption unit 26 may communicate with one or more of the energy management unit 24, the energy measurement unit 25, the central management unit 27, the energy network assistant unit 28, 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 home 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 home appliance by a third interface. Can be delivered.

In addition, the energy consumption unit 26 may communicate with the accessory component 29 by a communication means (fourth interface). In addition, the energy consumption unit 26 may communicate with the consumer processor 30 by a communication means (a fifth interface).

3 is a block diagram showing a process of transmitting information on a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a graph for explaining the form of an electric charge. 4A is a graph showing time of use (TOU) information and critical peak pattern (CPP) information, and FIG. 4B is a graph showing RTP (real time pattern) information.

Referring to FIG. 3, in the network system of the present invention, a specific component C may receive information related to energy (hereinafter referred to as "energy information") by communication means. In addition, the specific component (C) by the communication means in addition to the energy information (environmental information, program update information, time information, operation or status information of each component (breakdown, etc.), consumer habits regarding the use of the energy consumption unit Information, etc.) can be further received.

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

In another aspect, the information may include internal information, such as information related to each component (operation or state information of each component (such as a failure), energy usage information of the energy consumer, consumer habit information using the energy consumer, etc.), and other information. Information may be divided into external information (energy-related 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 energy 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 energy information I may be one of information such as electricity, water, and gas.

For example, the type of information related to electricity includes time-based pricing, energy curtailment, grid emergency, grid reliability, energy generation amount, and operational priority. (operation priority), energy consumption amount (Amount). In this embodiment, the fee associated with the energy source may be referred to as an energy fee.

That is, energy-related information may be classified into information related to charges (electric charges) and information other than charges (energy reduction, emergency situation, network safety, power generation amount, operation priority, energy 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 energy information I may be classified into time of use (TOU) information, critical peak pattern (CPP) information, or real time pattern (RTP) information according to a change pattern of data over time. The energy information I may change with time.

Referring to FIG. 4A, 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. 4B, according to the RTP information, data changes in real time with time.

Meanwhile, the energy information I may be transmitted and received with a true or false signal, such as a Boolean on a network system, or actual price information may be transmitted or received, or may be leveled and transmitted. 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, one of the signals is recognized as an on-peak signal and the other signal is off-peak. -peak) signal can be recognized.

Alternatively, a particular component may recognize information about at least one driving including an electric charge, and the particular component compares the recognized information value with the reference information value to turn on-peak and off- Off-peak can be recognized.

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 the peak).

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 energy manager, a central manager, etc.).

When the specific component (for example, the energy consumption unit) recognizes on-peak (for example, a recognition time point), the output may be zero (stopped or stopped) and the output may be reduced. The specific component may determine the driving method in advance before starting the operation, or change the driving method when the on-peak is recognized after starting the operation.

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

In this case, 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 electric charge for the entire operating time of the specific component is reduced.

Alternatively, when the specific component recognizes on-peak (for example, a recognition time point), the output may be maintained when the specific component is operable. In this case, the operable condition means that the information value related to driving is equal to or less than a predetermined standard. The information value related to the driving may be information on an electric charge, power consumption amount 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 energy management unit, a central management unit, etc.).

Alternatively, when the specific component recognizes on-peak (for example, a recognition time point), 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 more 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 driving period of the specific component is the total power consumption when the specific component operates at the normal output, or This can be lower than the total electricity bill.

When the specific component recognizes 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 overcooled 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 than the scheduled time of operation of the heater. This is to reduce the electricity bill by operating in the off-peak in advance to be operated in the on-peak to come later.

Alternatively, when a specific component recognizes off-peak (for example, a recognition point), power storage may be performed.

In the present invention, the specific component (for example, the energy 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. The power variable component may be operated according to a command generated from, for example, an energy management unit.

Meanwhile, the energy curtailment information is information related to a mode in which a component is stopped or a low electric charge is used. The energy saving 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 energy saving 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. Information related to the power outage is related to the reliability of the component using energy.

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

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

The grid reliability information is information about the quality of electricity, which is much or less of the amount of electricity supplied, and is transmitted / received by a true or false signal such as Boolean, or supplied to a component (for example, 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.

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 a surplus electricity is generated since the amount of electricity consumed by the component that consumes energy is smaller than the amount of generated electricity, and may be transmitted and received as a true or false signal, for example, as a Boolean.

When the specific component recognizes excessive power generation information (for example, when grid overfrequency is recognized or when an 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 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 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 energy, 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 energy 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.

As an 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 readily 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 pieces 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.

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

Specifically, when the energy management unit 24 receives the first information (internal information and / or external information), the energy management unit 24 generates the second information and / or third information, to establish the home network It may transmit to one or more components (for example, the energy consumption unit) constituting. In addition, the energy consumption unit 26 may operate according to the third information received from the energy management unit 24.

5 is a block diagram showing an example of a home network applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the first component 31 of the home network 20 may directly communicate with the utility network 10. The first component 31 can communicate with a number of components 32, 33, 34 (second to fourth components) of a home network. At this time, it is noted that there is no limit to the number of components of the home network that communicates with the first component 31.

That is, in the present embodiment, the first component 31 serves as a gateway. The first component 31 may be, for example, one of an energy management unit, an energy measuring unit, a central management unit, an energy network auxiliary unit, an energy consumption unit, and the like.

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 are each one of an energy generating unit, an energy distribution unit, an energy management unit, an energy storage unit, an energy measuring unit, a central management unit, an energy network auxiliary unit, and an energy consumption unit. Can be.

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. (32) (33) (34) can be transmitted. For example, when the first component 31 is an energy measuring unit, the first component may receive electric charge information and transmit the electrical charge information to an energy management unit, an energy consuming unit, or the like.

In addition, each of the second to fourth components 32, 33, 34 may communicate with another component. For example, the first component 31 is an energy measuring unit, the second component is an energy management unit, and the energy management unit may communicate with one or more energy consuming units.

6 is a block diagram showing another example of a home network applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, a plurality of components constituting the home network 20 of the present invention may directly communicate 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 41 and 42 may be components of the same kind or different kinds of components.

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

For example, each of the first and second components 41 and 42 may be one of an energy manager, an energy measuring unit, a central manager, an energy network assistant, and an energy consumer.

Each of the third to sixth components 43, 44, 45, 46 is one of an energy generator, an energy distributor, an energy manager, an energy measurer, a central manager, an energy network assistant, and an energy consumer. Can be.

7 is a block diagram showing another example of a home network applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, each of the components 51, 52, 53 constituting the home network of the present embodiment may communicate directly 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, 53 may communicate with the utility network.

Hereinafter, an example of a washing machine applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8 is a perspective view showing an example of a washing machine applicable to the network system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 9 is a block diagram showing an example of a washing machine applicable to the network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8 and 9, the washing machine 100 is a home appliance for washing / dehydrating / drying a laundry cloth. The washing machine 100 includes a control unit 110, a motor 120, a heater 130, a sensor 140, and a data receiver 150. The control unit 110 controls the operation of the washing machine 100. The motor 120 provides a driving force for rotation of the washing tub 121 in which the laundry cloth is accommodated. The heater 130 heats water or air supplied into the washing tank 121. For example, the water heated by the heater 130 is used for washing the laundry cloth inside the washing tank 121, the air heated by the heater 130 is the inside of the washing tank 121 Can be used for drying the laundry cloth. Accordingly, the motor 120 and the heater 130 may be referred to as an energy consumption unit. The sensor 140 detects the amount of the laundry cloth, that is, the amount of the laundry cloth inside the washing tub 121. The data receiver 150 receives information related to energy.

More specifically, the control unit 110 controls the motor 120 or / and the heater 130 to achieve the target value. That is, the control unit 110 controls the motor 120 or the motor 120 and the heater 130 to be operated in the washing stroke, and in the dehydrating stroke, the motor 120. ) Is controlled to operate, and in the drying mode, the heater 130 is controlled to operate.

Here, the target value means a quantitative value of a function to be acquired by the operation of the washing machine 100 substantially. For example, the amount of the laundry cloth that is the object of washing / dehydration / drying in the washing administration / dehydration stroke / drying stroke, respectively, that is, the washing cloth amount may be referred to as the target value. The control unit 110 sets the target value according to the amount of laundry cloth sensed by the sensor 140 (hereinafter, referred to as a 'detection quantity value').

In this case, the control unit 110 sets the target value differently according to whether it is on-peak or off-peak. In more detail, the control unit 110 determines whether the data receiver 150 is on-peak or off-peak based on the information related to the received energy. In the case of off-peak, the control unit 110 sets the target value of the sensed dose value, but in the case of on-peak, sets the set dose value obtained by subtracting the detected dose value to the target value. The sensing dose value set as the target value in on-peak may be a value obtained by subtracting the sensing dose value in a quantitative sense. Thus, for example, the set dose value may be set to a value obtained by subtracting the sensed dose value by a predetermined ratio, or may be set to a value obtained by subtracting the preset value from the sensed dose value.

Hereinafter, an example of a control method of a washing machine applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, a control method related to the washing operation in the control method of the washing machine is described.

10 is a control flowchart showing an example of a control method of a washing machine applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, the sensor 140 detects an amount of laundry cloth, that is, a quantity value, inside the washing tub 121. (S11) The control unit 110 receives the data receiving unit 150. It is determined whether the information is off-peak according to the information (S13).

If it is determined in the thirteenth step that it is off-peak, the control unit 110 sets the sensed dose value as a target dose value. (S15) And the control unit 110, the target dose value, that is, The operation of the motor 120 and the heater 130 is controlled to wash the laundry cloth corresponding to the detected quantity value, that is, the washing stroke. (S17) Here, the heater 130 is used to wash the laundry cloth. It will work if you use hot water.

Next, the control unit 110 determines whether or not the washing operation is finished (S19). If it is determined in step 19 that the washing operation is finished, the control unit 110 stops the motor 120. (S21)

In addition, if it is determined that the control unit 110 is not off-peak, that is, on-peak in the thirteenth step, the control unit 110 sets the set amount of the target dose value by deducting the detected dose value by a predetermined ratio. (S23) And the control unit 110 performs the seventeenth and nineteenth step for the washing administration.

As described above, in the case of on-peak, the washing machine 100 performs the washing operation by setting the set quantity value which is subtracted from the actually detected sensing quantity value as a target value. Therefore, in the process of performing the washing stroke, the amount of water supplied in proportion to the target amount of water, the total number of revolutions of the washing tub 121 for washing, etc. is substantially made, thereby substantially on-peak This will minimize the amount of energy consumed in the laundry administration.

Hereinafter, another example of a control method of a washing machine applicable to a network according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, the control method for the dehydrating stroke and the drying stroke of the control method of the washing machine will be described, and detailed description of the same parts as the above-described control method for the washing stroke of the washing machine will be omitted.

11 is a control flowchart showing another example of a control method of a washing machine applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 12 is another control method of a washing machine applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention An example control flow diagram.

First, referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the present exemplary embodiments are control methods relating to a dehydrating stroke and a drying stroke of a washing machine, respectively. Accordingly, the determination of on-peak and off-peak and the setting of the target value are the same as the control method related to the washing operation of the washing machine described above. However, in the present embodiments, the motor 120 is used to achieve the target value. Alternatively, when the heater 130 is operated and the dehydration or drying stroke is completed, the motor 120 or the heater 130 is stopped. (S37 to S41) (S57 to S61)

Therefore, even in the control method of the washing machine according to the present embodiment, in the case of the on-peak in the dehydration stroke and the drying stroke, the sensed detection value is actually reduced to the set dose value to perform the dehydration stroke or the drying stroke. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the amount of energy consumed in the dehydration and drying stroke on-peak.

Hereinafter, a refrigerator applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a refrigerator applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a refrigerator applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, the refrigerator 200 is a home appliance that freezes / colds an item such as food and keeps it fresh. The refrigerator 200 may include a control unit 210 for controlling the operation of the refrigerator 200, a refrigerating cycle 220 for forming cold air for freezing / refrigerating an article, and an input unit for receiving a temperature for freezing / refrigerating. 230, and a data receiver 240 for receiving information about energy. Therefore, in this embodiment, the refrigeration cycle 220 will be substantially energy consumption.

More specifically, the control unit 210 sets a target temperature for freezing / refrigeration of the article, and controls the operation of the refrigeration cycle 220 so that the freezing / refrigeration of the article is performed at the target temperature. In this case, the control unit 210 determines whether the data receiver 240 is on-peak or off-peak based on the information related to the received energy, and sets the target temperature to be different accordingly. That is, the control unit 210 sets the input temperature received by the input unit 230 as the target temperature in the case of off-peak, and sets the temperature to the temperature obtained by subtracting the input temperature in the case of on-peak. Is set to the target temperature.

Here, the set temperature may be set to a temperature above a minimum temperature capable of maintaining the freshness of freezing / refrigeration of the article. Thus, for example, if it is determined to be on-peak, when the input unit 230 selects a rapid freezing / rapid refrigeration or the like for rapid freezing / refrigeration or the temperature for excessively low freezing / refrigeration, the input temperature The set temperature subtracted from may be set as the target temperature. The set temperature may be set to a value obtained by subtracting the input temperature by a predetermined ratio or by subtracting a predetermined value.

Hereinafter, an example of a control method of a refrigerator applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

15 is a control flowchart showing an example of a control method of a refrigerator applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 15, the input unit 230 receives a temperature for freezing / refrigerating an article (S71) and whether the control unit 210 is off-peak according to the information received by the data receiver 240. If it is determined in step 73 that the signal is off-peak, the control unit 210 sets the input temperature to a target temperature. In addition, the operation of the refrigeration cycle freezing cycle 220 is controlled to freeze / refrigerate the article at the target temperature, that is, the input temperature.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the control unit 210 is not off-peak, in other words, on-peak in step 73, the control unit 210 sets the set temperature obtained by subtracting the input temperature to a target temperature (S79). The unit 210 performs the seventy-seventh step by controlling the operation of the refrigerating cycle 220 to freeze / refrigerate the article at the target temperature, that is, the set temperature.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the target temperature for freezing / refrigerating the article in on-peak is set to a set temperature subtracted from the input temperature. Therefore, by reducing the energy consumption for the freezing / refrigeration of the article on-peak, it is possible to substantially reduce the cost of freezing / refrigeration of the article.

Hereinafter, an example of an air conditioner applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16 is a perspective view showing an example of an air conditioner applicable to the network system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 17 is a configuration showing an example of an air conditioner applicable to the network system according to an embodiment of the present invention It is also.

Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, the air conditioner 300 is a home appliance that cools and / or heats an indoor air conditioner, that is, an indoor space. The air conditioner 300 includes a control unit 310, a heat exchange cycle 320, an input unit 330, and a data receiving unit 340.

In more detail, the control unit 310 sets the target temperature for cooling or heating the indoor space, and the operation of the heat exchange cycle 320 to cool or heat the indoor space at the target temperature. To control. In this case, the control unit 310 determines whether the data receiver 340 is on-peak or off-peak based on the information related to the received energy, and sets the target temperature to be different accordingly. That is, the control unit 310 sets the input temperature received by the input unit 330 as the target temperature in the case of off-peak, and sets the temperature to the temperature obtained by subtracting the input temperature in the case of on-peak. Is set to the target temperature. The air conditioner according to the present embodiment, like the refrigerator according to the embodiment described above, minimizes the consumption of energy in the on-peak by reducing the substantial cooling or heating temperature in the on-peak.

Hereinafter, an example of a control method of an air conditioner applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18 is a control flowchart showing an example of a control method of an air conditioner applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 18, the input unit 330 receives a temperature for cooling or heating an indoor space. (S81) And whether the control unit 310 is off-peak according to the information received by the data receiving unit 340. The control unit 310 sets the input temperature to a target temperature (S85). In operation 93, the control unit 310 sets the input temperature to a target temperature. The operation of the heat exchange cycle 320 is controlled to cool or heat the indoor space at the target temperature, that is, the input temperature.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the control unit 310 is not off-peak (ie, on-peak) in the 83rd step, the control unit 310 sets the set temperature obtained by subtracting the input temperature to the target temperature (S89). The unit 310 performs the 87th step by controlling the operation of the heat exchange cycle 320 such that the indoor space is cooled or heated to the target temperature, that is, the set temperature.

As described above, in the present embodiment, a target temperature for cooling or heating the indoor space in on-peak is set to a set temperature obtained by subtracting an input temperature. Therefore, by reducing the consumption of energy for cooling or heating the indoor space in the on-peak, it is possible to substantially reduce the cost required for cooling or heating the indoor space.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. .

100: washing machine 110: control unit
120: motor 130: heater
140: sensor 150: data receiving unit
200: refrigerator 210: control unit
220: refrigeration cycle 230: input unit
240: data receiving unit 300: air conditioner
310: control unit 320: heat exchange cycle
330: input unit 340: data receiving unit

Claims (20)

An energy generator for generating energy; And
An energy consuming unit for consuming energy generated by the energy generating unit to perform an operation for achieving a target value or a target state; Including,
And the target value or target state is changed according to the information about the energy. The method of claim 1,
The target value or the target state is varied to reduce the cost according to the energy consumed in the energy consuming portion or the energy consumption in the energy consuming portion. The method of claim 1,
The target value or the target state is any one of temperature, humidity, the operating RPM of the energy consumer, the operating time of the energy consumer, and the operation rate of the energy consumer. The method of claim 1,
The target value or the target state is calculated directly according to the load directly input by the user or put on the energy consumption unit by the user. The method of claim 1,
The energy consumption unit is a motor for rotating the laundry tank in which the laundry cloth is accommodated,
Further comprising a control unit for controlling the operation of the motor,
The control unit, when determined to be off-peak based on the information on the energy, sets the amount of laundry contained in the inside of the washing tank as a target quantity, and when determined to be on-peak, the amount of laundry contained in the inside of the washing tank. And setting the set amount of the quantity to be a target amount, and controlling the motor to operate for at least one of washing, dehydrating, and drying the laundry cloth corresponding to the target amount. The method of claim 1,
The energy consumption unit is a heater for heating water or air supplied into the washing tank in which the laundry cloth is accommodated,
Further comprising a control unit for controlling the operation of the heater,
The control unit, when determined to be off-peak based on the information on the energy, sets the amount of laundry contained in the inside of the washing tank as a target quantity, and when determined to be on-peak, the amount of laundry contained in the inside of the washing tank. And setting the set amount of the quantity to be a target amount, and controlling the heater to operate for at least one of washing, dehydrating, and drying the laundry cloth corresponding to the target amount. The method of claim 1,
The energy consumption unit is a refrigeration cycle for freezing or refrigerating items stored in the storage space,
And a control unit for controlling the operation of the refrigeration cycle,
The control unit, when determined to be off-peak based on the information on the energy, sets the input temperature received for freezing or refrigerating the article stored in the storage space as a target temperature, and when determined to be on-peak, the input temperature. Setting a subtracted set temperature to a target temperature, and controlling the refrigeration cycle to operate to freeze or refrigerate the article stored in the storage space to the target temperature. The method of claim 1,
The energy consumption unit is a heat exchange cycle for cooling or heating an indoor space,
And a control unit for controlling the operation of the heat exchange cycle,
The control unit, when determined to be off-peak based on the information on the energy, sets the input temperature received for cooling or heating the indoor space as a target temperature, and setting the subtracted input temperature when determined to be on-peak. Setting a temperature to a target temperature and controlling the heat exchange cycle to operate to cool or disturb the indoor space to the target temperature. A utility network including an energy generator for generating energy; And
A home network including an energy consumption unit configured to consume energy generated by the energy generation unit and perform an operation for achieving a predetermined target value or target state; Including,
And a target value or a target state is changed according to the information about the energy in the energy measuring unit in order to reduce the cost associated with the energy consumed in the energy consuming unit or the energy consumption in the energy consuming unit. The method of claim 9,
The energy consumer is a washing machine that performs at least one of washing, dehydration and drying of the laundry cloth,
The washing machine,
A motor for rotating the laundry tank in which the laundry cloth is accommodated; And
A control unit for controlling the operation of the motor;
The control unit, when determined to be off-peak based on the information on the energy, sets the amount of laundry contained in the inside of the washing tank as a target quantity, and when determined to be on-peak, the amount of laundry contained in the inside of the washing tank. And setting the set amount of the quantity to be a target amount, and controlling the motor to operate for at least one of washing, dehydrating, and drying the laundry cloth corresponding to the target amount. The method of claim 9,
The energy consumer is a washing machine that performs at least one of washing, dehydration and drying of the laundry cloth,
The washing machine,
A heater for heating water or air supplied into the washing tank in which the laundry cloth is accommodated; And
A control unit for controlling the operation of the motor; More,
The control unit, when determined to be off-peak based on the information on the energy, sets the amount of laundry contained in the inside of the washing tank as a target quantity, and when determined to be on-peak, the amount of laundry contained in the inside of the washing tank. And setting the set amount of the quantity to be a target amount, and controlling the heater to operate for at least one of washing, dehydrating, and drying the laundry cloth corresponding to the target amount. The method of claim 9,
The energy consumer is a refrigerator for freezing or refrigerating items stored in a storage space,
The refrigerator,
A refrigeration cycle for freezing or refrigerating items stored in the storage space; And
A control unit for controlling the operation of the refrigeration cycle; Including,
The control unit, when determined to be off-peak based on the information on the energy, sets the input temperature received for freezing or refrigerating the article stored in the storage space as a target temperature, and when determined to be on-peak, the input temperature. Setting a subtracted set temperature to a target temperature, and controlling the refrigeration cycle to operate to freeze or refrigerate the article stored in the storage space to the target temperature. The method of claim 9,
The energy consumption unit is an air conditioner for cooling or heating an indoor space,
The air conditioner,
A heat exchange cycle for cooling or heating the indoor space; And
A control unit for controlling the operation of the heat exchange cycle; Including,
The control unit, when determined to be off-peak based on the information on the energy, sets the input temperature received for cooling or heating the indoor space as a target temperature, and setting the subtracted input temperature when determined to be on-peak. Setting a temperature to a target temperature and controlling the heat exchange cycle to operate to cool or disturb the indoor space to the target temperature. The energy generating unit generates energy; And
An energy consuming unit consuming an energy generated by the energy generating unit to perform an operation for achieving a target value or a target state; Including,
And a target value or a target state is changed according to the information about the energy in order to reduce the cost associated with the energy consumed in the energy consuming portion or the energy consumption in the energy consuming portion. The method of claim 14,
The energy consuming unit controls the network system to perform an operation for achieving the target value or a target state which is any one of temperature, humidity, an operating RPM of the energy consuming unit, an operating time of the energy consuming unit, and an operation rate of the energy consuming unit. Way. The method of claim 15,
The control unit, the home appliance control method for setting an input value input by the input unit or a value calculated according to the load given to the energy consumption unit as an initial value. The method of claim 15,
The energy consumption unit rotates the washing tank in which the laundry cloth is stored,
The energy consuming unit, when determined to be off-peak based on the information on the energy, sets the amount of laundry contained in the washing tub as a target quantity, and when determined to be on-peak, the amount of laundry contained in the washing tub And setting the set amount of the product as a target amount of water, and operating by the control unit for at least one of washing, dehydrating, and drying the laundry cloth corresponding to the target amount of water. The method of claim 15,
The energy consumption unit heats the water or air supplied into the washing tank in which the laundry cloth is accommodated,
The energy consuming unit, when determined to be off-peak based on the information on the energy, sets the amount of laundry contained in the washing tub as a target quantity, and when determined to be on-peak, the amount of laundry contained in the washing tub And setting the set amount of the product as a target amount of water, and operating by the control unit for at least one of washing, dehydrating, and drying the laundry cloth corresponding to the target amount of water. The method of claim 15,
The energy consuming unit freezes or refrigerates the article stored in the storage space,
The energy consuming unit sets the input temperature received for freezing or refrigerating an article stored in the storage space as a target temperature if it is determined to be off-peak based on the information about the energy, and if it is determined to be on-peak, the input temperature. Setting a subtracted set temperature to a target temperature and operating to freeze or refrigerate the article stored in the storage space to the target temperature. The method of claim 15,
The energy consumption unit cools or heats an indoor space,
The energy consuming unit sets the input temperature received for cooling or heating the indoor space as a target temperature if it is determined to be off-peak based on the information about the energy, and subtracts the input temperature if it is determined to be on-peak. Setting a temperature to a target temperature and operating to cool or disturb the indoor space to the target temperature.

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